Churches: Theft

Anne McIntosh: To ask the hon. Member for Banbury, representing the Church Commissioners, what recent representations he has received on trends in metal theft from churches; and if he will make a statement.

Tony Baldry: The theft of metal from churches continues to be a serious problem despite some recent successful prosecutions in Lincolnshire, the Church still finds about 10 of its churches a day suffering from theft. Insurance payouts for theft of metal from places of worship have increased by 70% and are expected to reach £5.5 million by the end of the year. According to ACPO the full cost to the domestic economy of metal theft, across all sectors, is reaching upwards of £770 million.
	The Church welcomes English Heritage's assistance in updating their advice on the repair and replacement of roofs, which now allows for the replacement of stolen roofing material with different less valuable alternatives. St John the Baptist church in Bromsgrove, Worcestershire is the first grade 1 listed church in the country to be granted a faculty to replace its stolen roof with a fibreglass alternative after the church was targeted seven times in six months despite having installed anti theft measures.
	The Church remains convinced that making cash transactions illegal is the single move that will have the greatest impact on reducing this crime and are pleased to see this proposal gaining wider acceptance. The Church of England continues to have conversations with the Home Office, the CPS and others.

Drugs: Arrests

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have been arrested for crimes connected with (a) cocaine and (b) heroin use in each constituency in each year since 2005.

James Brokenshire: holding answer 15 November 2011
	Data held centrally on the number of persons arrested in England and Wales cannot separately identify all crimes connected with drugs use.
	Arrest data for ‘drug offences' are collected at police force level only and cannot be broken down by constituency. This data are published annually in chapter 1 of the Home Office Statistical Bulletin: Police Powers and Procedures, copies of which are available from the Library of the House and online at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/publications/science-research-statistics/research-statistics/police-research/hosb0711/
	Drugs may also have been a factor in arrests for other recorded offences but it is not possible to separately identify these.

Drugs: Crime

Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether she has had any recent discussions with the UK Drug Policy Commission on the concerns they have raised about drug policing capacity.

James Brokenshire: holding answer 15 November 2011
	The Secretary of State for the Home Department, my right hon. Friend the Member for Maidenhead (Mrs May), has not discussed with the UK Drug Policy Commission their concerns about drug policing capacity.
	As Minister of State for Crime Prevention and Anti Social Behaviour Reduction, my noble Friend Lord Henley, met representatives from UK Drug Policy Commission on 8 November 2011. During this meeting the UK Drug Policy Commission presented the findings of their latest research projects, including their recent report “Getting Serious about Stigma: The Problem with Stigmatising Drug Users” and research project “Drug Enforcement in an Age of Austerity”.

Interpol: Political Impartiality

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on the adequacy of the mechanisms in place for ensuring political neutrality from all member states in line with Article 3 of Interpol's Constitution for the issuing of (a) Interpol Red Notices and (b) Interpol Diffusions; and if she will make a statement.

James Brokenshire: The Secretary of State for the Home Department, my right hon. Friend the Member for Maidenhead (Mrs May), has not discussed this matter with the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague). Ensuring Interpol adheres to its constitutional rules on neutrality is primarily the responsibility of Interpol's General Secretariat. The secretariat checks Red Notices for compliance, including with the neutrality rules, prior to publication. Interpol Diffusions are not currently checked by the secretariat but there are plans to introduce this in the future.
	Individual cases can be reviewed by the Commission for the Control of Interpol's Files, which is an independent monitoring body which operates within Interpol's basic rules.

Metals: Theft

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will take steps to ensure that policy regarding metal theft is the responsibility of one Minister.

James Brokenshire: The Secretary of State for the Home Department, my right hon. Friend the Member for Maidenhead (Mrs May), has the policy responsibility for metal theft, in close collaboration with her ministerial colleagues across Government.

Smuggling: Fuels

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many offences relating to fuel laundering were recorded in each region in each of the last three years;
	(2)  what discussions she has had with representatives of the devolved Administrations to co-ordinate steps to tackle fuel laundering and smuggling in the UK.

Chloe Smith: I have been asked to reply.
	The numbers of laundering plants detected by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) are in the following table:
	
		
			  Laundering plants 
			 2008-09  
			 NI 5 
			 England 1 
			 Total 6 
			   
			 2009-10  
			 NI 16 
			 Total 16 
			   
			 2010-11  
			 NI 20 
			 Scotland 1 
			 England 2 
			   
			 Total 23 
		
	
	HMRC does not record centrally the number of vehicles detected running on laundered fuel. However, the numbers of vehicles containing illicit fuels that were detected in the last three years are shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Illicit fuel detections 
			 2008-09 3,934 
			 2009-10 3,762 
			 2010-11 3,083 
		
	
	HMRC is a member of the Organised Crime Task Force (OCTF) in Northern Ireland. The OCTF is chaired by the Minister of Justice and brings government, law enforcement and a range of both UK and Northern Ireland agencies together to set priorities for tackling organised crime in Northern Ireland.

Terrorism: Wales

Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what funding her Department plans to provide to the Wales Extremist and Counter Terrorism Unit in (a) 2011-12, (b) 2012-13 and (c) 2013-14.

Nick Herbert: The Home Department does not break down the counter-terrorism budget beyond what is already published for reasons of national security.
	It has been the policy of successive governments not to reveal these details.

Afghanistan

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 3 October 2011, Official Report, column 1369W, on Afghanistan, on how many occasions (a) the hon. Member for Bournemouth East, (b) (i) officials and (ii) special advisers of his Department and (c) James Murdoch have visited Afghanistan since May 2010; what the cost to the public purse was of each visit; what the purpose was of each visit; and if he will make a statement.

Philip Hammond: holding answer 17 October 2011
	The Ministry of Defence (MOD) has organised and funded one visit to Afghanistan for the hon. Member for Bournemouth East (Mr Ellwood) since May 2010. Mr Ellwood, in his then capacity as Parliamentary Private Secretary, accompanied my predecessor (the right hon. Member for North Somerset (Dr Fox)) on an official visit in August 2010. Mr Ellwood travelled by military aircraft and was hosted, with the rest of the party, in military accommodation while in Afghanistan. We are unable to disaggregate the specific costs of the flights and accommodation for Mr Ellwood from our overall ongoing operational costs.
	The MOD has not organised any visit to Afghanistan for James Murdoch.
	Since May 2010, 477 UK MOD civilians have visited Afghanistan, which is the MOD's main effort and, as such, officials from the Department are routinely required to travel there. However, travel is only undertaken if there is a clear departmental requirement and it is done in the way that is most economical both in terms of cost and official time.
	Since May 2010, special advisers at the MOD have made a total of nine return trips to Afghanistan. On all but one occasion, special advisers travelled to Afghanistan as part of their duties in support of ministerial visits. On the other occasion, a MOD special adviser visited Afghanistan as part of a cross-Whitehall communications visit. The overall travel costs by commercial aircraft associated with the nine visits were £17,762.53; as above, we are unable to disaggregate the specific costs of the in-theatre flights and accommodation for these officials from our overall ongoing operational costs.

Armed Trade: Cluster Munitions

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if (a) he and (b) the Parliamentary Under-Secretary for International Security, were aware (i) prior to and (ii) during the Parliamentary Under-Secretary's attendance at the IDEX arms fair in February 2011 in the United Arab Emirates, that cluster munitions were being sold at the fair; and if he will make it his policy not to send any Government representatives to attend arms fairs that promote products banned in the UK; and if he will make a statement.

Philip Hammond: Defence Ministers attend exhibitions as part of our defence diplomacy initiative and to promote UK industry overseas. They are not routinely made aware of items that will be on show at defence and security exhibitions in advance of attendance.
	Exhibitors are bound by the laws and conventions of the host country organising the event, which may differ to UK laws. The United Arab Emirates is not a signatory to the convention on cluster munitions. However, UK firms are subject to UK legislation, including the Cluster Munitions Act.

Departmental Consultants

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 20 October 2011, Official Report, columns 1067-68W, on departmental procurement, how many contracts his Department awarded to companies providing consultancy services in 2010-11; how many such contracts involved the provision of consultant staff working within his Department; how many such staff are in place currently; and if he will make a statement.

Peter Luff: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) awarded 152 contracts in financial year 2010-11 to companies providing services under the Government procurement services definition of consultancy. The MOD does not hold information centrally on how many contracts involved the provision of consultants within the Department or how many consultants are currently in place. We contract with consultancy companies to deliver a specific output at an agreed price. The resourcing of individual consultancy contracts is therefore a matter for the contractors we engage.
	Consultants can help us to increase our efficiency and effectiveness, but we engage them only when we cannot do the work ourselves and where we can demonstrate clear value for money. There are currently stringent controls on consultancy spend across government.

Departmental Consultants

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the name is of each consultancy employed by his Department to renegotiate defence contracts; and what the (a) daily rate of each consultant, (b) total amount paid to the consultancy to date and (c) bonus or incentive schemes included in the contract with each consultancy is.

Philip Hammond: I refer the right hon. Member to the answer given by the Minister for Defence Equipment Support and Technology, my hon. Friend the Member for Mid Worcestershire (Peter Luff), on 10 October 2011,
	Official Report,
	columns 42-43W, to the hon. Member for Dunfermline and West Fife (Thomas Docherty).
	AlixPartners remains the only company employed by the Ministry of Defence to support its renegotiation of defence contracts.

Dubai

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  on what date it was decided and by whom that his predecessor would return from Afghanistan via Dubai in June 2011;
	(2)  for how long the right hon. Member for North Somerset stayed in Dubai during the stopover which commenced on 16 to 17 June 2011; what the purpose of the stopover was; and what the cost to the public purse was of the accommodation for (a) his predecessor and (b) officials of his Department during the stopover.

Philip Hammond: holding answer 21 October 2011
	Visits to Afghanistan are regularly undertaken via a number of Gulf states including Dubai. In the period before the visit to Afghanistan of 14 to 16 June 2011, Private Office officials, in consultation with the then Secretary of State for Defence, my right hon. Friend the Member for North Somerset (Dr Fox), the Ministry of Defence policy staffs, and in-country national representatives, considered opportunities for Key Leader Engagement (KLE) and media engagement in Oman, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on the return leg in the period 16 to 19 June.
	In the week prior to the visit, the opportunities for engagement in Oman became unavailable, and updates from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office advised that engagement in Bahrain at that time was not now advisable. On 13 June, the day before departure from the UK, information was received from posts that the calls intended in the UAE might not happen due to changed availability of those that Dr Fox hoped to see. However, it was recommended that the days in the UAE be kept in the expectation that calls could either be re-established or alternatives found; similarly, it was decided that the media engagements arranged for 19 June should remain as planned in order to achieve their objectives.
	Dr Fox and his accompanying officials arrived in Dubai late on 16 June and departed on 19 June. Regrettably, KLE was not achieved on 17 (a holy day) and 18 June but media engagement was undertaken on 19 June. The accommodation was chosen on the basis of the original itinerary and security considerations; the cost of three nights’ accommodation for Dr Fox was £580.95; the total cost of accommodation for the two accompanying officials for the same period was £959.83.

South East Asia: Military Alliances

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps he is taking to strengthen the Five Power Defence Arrangement.

Philip Hammond: Membership of the Five Power Defence Arrangements (FPDA) remains the focus of the Ministry of Defence's engagement in south east Asia. I visited Singapore and Malaysia at the beginning of November to participate in commemorative events marking the fortieth anniversary of the Arrangements, and publicly acknowledged the FPDA's enduring value. Defence Ministers from the other four nations and I discussed how best to take the FPDA forward. We agreed to implement a number of recommendations arising from a major stock take of the FPDA's structure and activities. These measures will strengthen the arrangements in line with both the changing security environment and the needs of the five members.

Yemen

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps he (a) has taken and (b) is planning to take to implement the priorities for his Department set out in the Building Stability Overseas Strategy in Yemen.

Nick Harvey: holding answer 14 November 2011
	The principles of the Building Stability Overseas Strategy underpin the British Government's response to Yemen's manifold challenges. The three lead Departments, the Department for International Development, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Ministry of Defence have for some time worked closely together to deliver an integrated and coherent cross-government approach. Our strategy has focused on degrading al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula to the point where they no longer pose a strategic threat, and halting Yemen's decline into state failure by reducing conflict and grievances and increasing the capacity of the state.
	Our cross-government conflict management programmes aim to strengthen popular participation in the political process, to bridge the gap between governed and the governing elite. The programme focuses on tribal and community structures, professionalising security and justice services, refugee and host community conflict reduction, water-related conflict issues and election-related violence. We also continue to provide training for a very small number of Yemeni officers on key courses in the United Kingdom.
	The current security situation in Yemen has significantly reduced our ability to deliver against our strategy. The Government hope to be able to provide support in order to increase Yemen's ability to manage tensions and shocks and hence reduce instability and conflict in the future; however, future engagement will be dependent on the political and security situation in Yemen.

Adam Werritty

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Houghton and Sunderland South of 8 November 2011, Official Report, column 157W, on Adam Werritty, whether a Minister in his Department requested that officials attend each such meeting; and whether any particular countries were discussed at those meetings.

David Lidington: No Minister requested officials to attend each such meeting. The discussions covered a range of issues.

Afghanistan: War Crimes

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his policy is on the Government of Afghanistan's approach to immunity for individuals accused of serious violations of human rights and war crimes in Afghanistan.

Alistair Burt: When human rights violations occur or where war crimes may have been committed, they should be investigated in accordance with international practices and those responsible should be held to account. We expect the Afghan Government to abide by its national and international human rights commitments.

Egypt: Embassies

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the Egyptian authorities about the protection of UK diplomatic premises and staff in Egypt.

Alistair Burt: Our embassy in Cairo have regular discussions with the Egyptian authorities about the protection of UK diplomatic premises and staff in Egypt. However, it is longstanding Foreign and Commonwealth Office practice not to comment on the detail of these discussions.

Heritage Oil

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether (a) he and (b) Ministers in his Department have met representatives of Heritage Oil or any of its subsidiaries since May 2010.

David Lidington: A full list of ministerial meetings with external organisations is published quarterly on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's website at:
	www.fco.gov.uk/en/publications-and-documents/transparency-and-data1/hospitality/
	In addition, the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague) was approached by a representative of Heritage Oil at a Conservative Party event at the Carlton Club in March 2011. The Foreign Secretary asked him to put any representation in writing.

Israel: Embassies

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has received from the Israeli government about the protection of the Israeli embassy in London and its staff.

Alistair Burt: We have not received recent representations from the Israeli government about the protection of the Israeli embassy in London. I regularly meet the Israeli ambassador to London, most recently on 7 November, and this issue has not been raised.
	The security of the Israeli embassy is delivered by the Diplomatic Protection Group of the Metropolitan Police who maintain a permanent police presence on site and are in constant contact with the Israeli security staff.

Middle East: Armed Conflict

Michael McCann: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports his Department received on (a) the size of Hezbollah's arsenal of missiles and (b) the range of such missiles in (i) 2006, (ii) 2007, (iii) 2008, (iv) 2009 and (v) 2010.

Alistair Burt: We have received various reports and estimates on the size of Hezbollah's rocket and missile arsenal that put the figure in the low tens of thousands. In 2006, Hezbollah's weapons perhaps had ranges up to 150 km. Reports received in 2010 claim the longest range Hezbollah weapon could exceed 300 km.
	The reported acquisition of short range ballistic missiles in 2010, such as Fateh-110 and SCUD class missiles, is a step change and one that has received much press coverage.
	UN Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1701 calls upon the Government of Lebanon to secure its borders and other entry points to prevent the entry in Lebanon without its consent of arms or related material and requests UNIFIL to assist the Government of Lebanon at its request. We remain concerned by reports of weapons transfers to Hezbollah, including Hezbollah's own claims that it possesses significant military capabilities.
	The Prime Minister raised the importance of full implementation of UNSCR 1701 with Lebanese Prime Minister Miqati on 7 November 2011. We continue to raise this issue at senior level with the Lebanese, Syrian and Israeli governments.

Middle East: International Assistance

Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the findings of the (a) Palmer Commission and (b) Turkel Commission report on the Gaza Flotilla incident in May 2010.

Alistair Burt: The UN Palmer report into the Gaza Flotilla in 2010 was published on 2 September. This drew on information provided by the Israeli Turkel Commission, as well as that set up by Turkey. The UK supported the UN Secretary-General’s establishment of an independent panel of inquiry to review the incidents that occurred around this event. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), stated at the time that the UK deeply deplored the loss of life and urged strenuous efforts to prevent the recurrence of such incidents in future.
	The Palmer report makes clear that the events of 31 May should never have taken place. Turkey and Israel have made public statements on the report. We regret the breakdown in the relationship between them and we continue to urge both sides to renew their efforts to find a way forward that will promote reconciliation and enhance regional stability.
	The situation in Gaza is of serious concern to the Government. I visited Gaza in June and raised this issue. He saw for himself a United Nations Relief and Works Agency School. The British ambassador in Tel Aviv and other officials regularly discuss the situation in Gaza with Israeli interlocutors.
	While there is no humanitarian crisis in Gaza, there is an enduring need for humanitarian aid. We have also been clear that actions by both Israel and Hamas have contributed to the status quo. Working closely with EU and Quartet partners, we will continue to call on Israel to ease restrictions on access and enable a return to economic normality.

Middle East: Peace Negotiations

Michael McCann: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with representatives of the Palestinian Authority on the resumption of peace negotiations with Israel.

Alistair Burt: The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), most recently met President Abbas during UN General Assembly Ministerial week on 20 September, including on efforts to re-start peace negotiations. The British consul general in Jerusalem most recently met President Abbas on instruction to discuss these issues on 8 November.

Middle East: Reconciliation

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether (a) he and (b) his officials have had any discussions with (i) the Israeli authorities, (ii) the Palestinian authorities, (iii) his US counterparts, (iv) his EU counterpart and (v) the UN on promoting reconciliation in Israel and Palestine since May 2010.

Alistair Burt: The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), and I, as well as our officials, have held numerous meetings with the various counterparts mentioned, including to discuss how to resolve the middle east peace process and promote reconciliation in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories. Providing the detail of each interaction since May 2010 would entail disproportionate cost.

British Overseas Territories: Biodiversity

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 
	(1)  how much of the Government's biodiversity conservation budget will be spent in British Overseas Territories in each year from 2012-13 to 2014-15;
	(2)  how much of the Government's biodiversity conservation budget was spent in British Overseas Territories in each year from 2010-11;
	(3)  what measures the Government have put in place to implement the Overseas Territories Biodiversity Strategy;
	(4)  what progress has been made on implementation of the Overseas Territories Biodiversity Strategy; and if he will make a statement.

Richard Benyon: I have been asked to reply.
	Following agreement of the Overseas Territories Biodiversity Strategy in 2009, DEFRA has taken the lead in coordinating a partnership of Government Departments overseeing its implementation. This partnership comprises DEFRA, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) and the Department for International Development (DFID), and is supported by the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC). As part of this partnership, DEFRA established the Overseas Territories Biodiversity Group (OTBG), comprising officials from DEFRA, the FCO, DFID, JNCC and the UK Overseas Territories Association (UKOTA). Chaired by DEFRA, the OTBG is responsible for overseeing the delivery of the strategy.
	In terms of delivering the objectives set out in the strategy, formal contact points on biodiversity matters have been established in the territories and, in addition to securing more inclusive UK reporting to multilateral environmental agreements, DEFRA hosted a workshop in September 2011 to improve communication and knowledge of the obligations related to the membership of such agreements. I can report that, by June 2011, 38 discrete projects and/or activities in 10 Overseas Territories have been funded that address four of the strategic priorities of the strategy.
	Looking ahead, DEFRA will continue to liaise closely with other Government Departments, inter alia through the OTBG, as well as directly with Overseas Territories and with the UKOTA, to offer such advice and assistance as is within our purview and is appropriate.
	Funding amounting to over £1.2 million was spent on biodiversity in Overseas Territories in 2010-11. This comprised a contribution of £200,000, announced by the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Meriden (Mrs Spelman) at last year's Nagoya Biodiversity Conference, towards rodent eradication on the World Heritage site of Henderson Island in the Pitcairn group of islands, which hosts many endangered species of birds, including the Henderson petrel. It also comprised a figure of just over £1 million from DEFRA'S Darwin Initiative for the period 2010-11 towards projects in the Overseas Territories. We are continuing to welcome project proposals for Darwin funding from the territories. Since the Darwin Initiative is now being co-funded by DEFRA and DFID, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs also announced at the Nagoya Biodiversity Conference that funding under Darwin would in fact increase over the spending review period. In addition to this £1.2 million, the JNCC also contributed £150,000 during 2010-11, and a further £10,000 was committed by DEFRA on research and development projects within the Overseas Territories. In view of the current financial climate it is not possible to predict how much will be spent on biodiversity conservation measures in Overseas Territories in future.
	As my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs reported previously to Parliament, a new global biodiversity target for 2020 was agreed at the tenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity in Nagoya in October 2010. The Aichi Targets apply to those Overseas Territories to which the Convention on Biological Diversity has been extended.
	DEFRA'S submission to the Prime Minister on our current and future priorities for providing support to the Overseas Territories will include measures relating to biodiversity.
	Finally, turning to the level of staff resource within DEFRA which is committed to working on issues associated with the Overseas Territories over the last five years, it is impossible to be precise. While there is no dedicated service towards supporting work in the Overseas Territories, there are a number of officials who regularly provide advice to the Overseas Territories on a range of issues on which DEFRA leads.

Betting Shops: Planning Permission

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether he plans to create a new planning use class for betting shops; and if he will make a statement.

Bob Neill: Ministers have received representations on this issue, including from a number of hon. Members, the Mayor of London and the Local Government Association. The Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee is also taking evidence on this matter as part of its inquiry into the implementation and operation of the Gambling Act 2005.
	As I outlined in my answer of 9 November 2011, Official Report, columns 336- 37W, my Department is currently considering how change of use is handled in the planning system. This includes examining the issues surrounding the proliferation of betting shops as a result of legislative changes made by the last administration.

Caravan Sites: Fees and Charges

David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what his policy is on surcharges levied by park sites owners on caravan or static homes owners who sell their property.

Grant Shapps: As a matter of law the maximum rate of commission a site owner can obtain on the sale of a residential mobile home is 10% of the agreed price. The position is different on the sale of holiday caravans. The amount of commission payable will be a contractual term of the pitch agreement although industry guidance is that the amount payable should not exceed 15% of the agreed sale price. An unreasonable term relating to commission may not be enforceable under the provisions of The Unfair Terms in Consumer Contracts Regulations 1999.
	I plan to consult in due course on a range of measures to improve the rights of residential mobile home owners.

Departmental Domestic Visits

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which local authorities he has visited since his appointment; on what dates; and for what purpose in each case.

Bob Neill: Further to the answers I gave to the right hon. Member for Don Valley (Caroline Flint) of 24 May 2011, Official Report, columns 680-82W, and 17 February 2011, Official Report, columns 887-89W, since 24 May 2011, the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, my right hon. Friend the Member for Brentwood and Ongar (Mr Pickles), has undertaken the following visits on a range of topics across his ministerial responsibilities:
	The Cambridge city council area on 24 May 2011;
	The London borough of Camden on 26 May 2011;
	The Royal borough of Kensington and Chelsea on 26 May 2011;
	The Sunderland city council, South Tyneside council, Durham county council and Newcastle city council areas on 9 June 2011;
	The Hertfordshire county council and Dacorum borough council area on 10 June 2011;
	The City of London on 14 June 2011;
	The London borough of Ealing area on 21 June 2011;
	The Warwickshire county council and Rugby borough council area on 23 June 2011;
	The Birmingham city council area on 28 June 2011, 30 June 2011 and 7 July 2011;
	The Cardiff council area on 12 July 2011;
	The London borough of Camden on 14 July 2011;
	The Essex county council and Colchester borough council area on 14 July 2011;
	The Sheffield city council area on 28 July 2011;
	The Swindon Borough Council area on 16 August 2011;
	The London borough of Haringey area and Harlow district council areas on 17 August 2011;
	The Thurrock council area on 18 August 2011;
	The Newport city council area on 15 September;
	The Salford city council area on 23 September 2011;
	The Bristol city council area on 27 September 2011;
	The Manchester city council area 1-5 October 2011(1);
	The Lincolnshire county council and West Lindsey district council area on 13 October 2011;
	The Hertfordshire county council and Welwyn Hatfield borough council area on 14 October 2011(1);
	The Oxfordshire county council and South Oxfordshire district council area on 15 October 2011(1);
	The Norfolk county council and Great Yarmouth borough council area on 27 October 2011; and
	The London borough of Croydon on 29 October 2011(1).
	(1) Political visit, included in the interests of transparency.

Departmental Work Experience

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many unpaid and expenses-only internships (a) his Department and (b) each public body for which he is responsible employed in the last 12 months for which figures are available.

Bob Neill: Neither the Department for Communities and Local Government, nor the public bodies for which the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, my right hon. Friend the Member for Brentwood and Ongar (Mr Pickles), is responsible, has had any unpaid or expenses-only internships in the last 12 months. In answering this question I have distinguished internships from work shadowing and volunteering.

Rented Housing: Peterborough

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the number of new homes to be made available under the Homes and Communities Agency's affordable rent scheme in the Peterborough City Council area from 2011 to 2014; and if he will make a statement.

Grant Shapps: In the Peterborough, and Cambridgeshire area, providers that have so far agreed their final contract offers with the Homes and Communities Agency under the Affordable Homes Programme are expected to deliver 684 Affordable Rent homes and 213 Affordable Home Ownership homes from allocations totalling £12.6 million.
	Details of the specific local authority areas in which homes to be delivered through the Affordable Homes Programme will be located are not yet available.

Dangerous Dogs

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales whether (a) she and (b) her officials have had any discussions with ministerial colleagues on dangerous dogs since May 2010.

David Jones: The Secretary of State for Wales, my right hon. Friend the Member for Chesham and Amersham (Mrs Gillan), and I discuss a range of issues with Cabinet and ministerial colleagues. There has been official level discussions between the Wales Office, the Home Office and the Welsh Government about the Government's proposals to improve the tools for tackling anti-social behaviour, including dangerous dogs, which we outlined in our consultation published on 8 February 2011.

Developing Countries: Disease Control

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what funding his Department has provided in each of the last five years for research and development into prevention, treatment and diagnostics for diseases connected with poverty, including (a) HIV/AIDS, (b) tuberculosis and (c) malaria; and if he will make a statement. [R]

Alan Duncan: The UK Government have provided funding to a range of Product Development Partnerships working on technologies for the prevention, treatment and diagnostics of a number of diseases of poverty. There are now more products at all stages of development, for diseases of poverty, than at any time in history. For example there are three new drug combinations to treat malaria, with over 140 million doses distributed in Africa and Asia and five new diagnostic tests for TB and malaria.
	UK government funding provided:
	
		
			  £ million per financial year 
			  2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 
			 (a) HIV and AIDS      
			 International AIDS Vaccine Initiative 6 6 6 10 8 
			 International Partnership for Microbicides 2.5 2.5 2.5 7.5 3.5 
			       
			 (b) Tuberculosis      
			 Global Alliance for TB drug development 1.8 0.9 3.9 5.7 7.3 
			 AERAS—TB Vaccine — — — 4 5.5 
			 Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics — — — 0.6 0.2 
			       
			 (c) Malaria      
			 Medicines for Malaria Venture 4 2 2 2 13 
			 Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative 0.5 0.5 0.5 1.3 1.4 
			 Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics — — — 0.2 0.07 
			 Institute of One World Health — — — 0.7 1 
			       
			 In addition the Government also support a broader range of research into how best to deliver effective health services, including the strengthening of health systems and the delivery of new technologies, through a wide range of research programmes 2.1 2.6 4.3 6.3 6.2

Adoption

John Hemming: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many children left care and went to permanence (a) who were (i) under one, (ii) one to five, (iii) five to 10, (iv) 10 to 16 and (v) 16 and over and (b) by category of permanence in (A) 2009, (B) 2010 and (C) 2011 to date; and what the total increase was in those leaving care to permanence between 2010 and 2011.

Tim Loughton: The information requested is provided in Table A. 'Permanence' is defined as one of three scenarios; children who have ceased to be looked after due to adoption, the making of a special guardianship order, or residence order.
	
		
			 Children who ceased to be looked after by Adoption, Special Guardianship and Residence Order,  (1,2,3)   years ending 31 March 2009 to 2011, Coverage: England 
			 Numbers 
			  Adoption Special Guardianship Residence Order Total  (4) 
			  2009 2010 2011 2009 2010 2011 2009 2010 2011 2009 2010 2011 
			 All children 3,330 3,200 3,050 1,240 1,290 1,740 930 1,010 1,180 5,490 5,500 5,970 
			              
			 Age on ceasing (years)             
			 Aged under 1 80 70 60 110 90 130 90 100 120 290 260 310 
			 Aged 1 to 4 2,380 2,250 2,170 510 570 810 360 420 490 3,250 3,240 3,480 
			 Aged 5 to 9 770 780 730 350 350 440 250 270 330 1,370 1,390 1,490 
			 Aged 10 to 15 80 100 90 240 250 320 220 210 230 540 550 640 
			 Aged 16 and over 10 10 x 20 20 40 10 10 10 40 50 50 
		
	
	
		
			  Percentage increase from 2010 to 2011 
			  Adoption Special guardianship Residence Order Total  (4) 
			 All children -5 35 16 9 
			      
			 Age on ceasing (years)     
			 Aged under 1 -10 43 17 19 
			 Aged 1 to 4 -3 42 18 7 
			 Aged 5 to 9 -6 26 21 7 
			 Aged 10 to 15 -7 30 8 15 
			 Aged 16 and over x 54 18 18 
			 (1) Numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10, percentage have rounded to the whole number. (2) Figures exclude children looked after under an agreed series of short term placements. (3) x denotes figures which are not shown in order to protect confidentiality. (4) Total of adoption, special guardianship and residence orders. Source: SSDA 903

Carers: Grandparents

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many children in each local authority area were brought up by their grandparents in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Tim Loughton: Information on children who were brought up by their grandparents is not collected centrally. However, information is available on children looked after by parents or other persons with parental responsibility (as defined in the Children Act) and foster placements with relatives or friends at 31 March 2011. This is contained in table A3 which can be accessed via the Excel link ‘England Summary Tables’ in the Statistical First Release (Children Looked After by Local Authorities in England (including adoption and care leavers)—year ending 31 March 2011) published on 28 September 2011 at:
	http://www.education.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s001026/index.shtml
	A recent study on kinship care which highlights the number of children in England living with grandparents was recently published by Hadley Centre. This information can be accessed via this link:
	http://www.bristol.ac.uk/sps/research/projects/completed/2011/rj5314/finalkinship.pdf

Charities

Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what grants his Department made to charitable organisations in each of the last five years.

Sarah Teather: DfE's direct grant spend with civil society organisations, which includes charities, was £366 million for the financial year 2010-11 and £166 million between April 2011 and 31 October 2011. A number of those grants were awarded through our VCS Prospectus (announced on 25 February 2011) and figures for each funded organisation can be found in the press notice on the DfE website:
	http://www.education.gov.uk/inthenews/a0074906/voluntary-and-community-organisations-awarded-60-million-grant
	The sector also receives money from DfE through a number of other routes, including funding through arms length bodies, through the money we give to local authorities and from services commissioned from schools.
	We are unable to provide information on funding to charitable organisations in earlier years as extracting and analysing that information would exceed the disproportionate cost threshold.

Children in Care

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many looked-after children there were in (a) England and (b) each local authority area in the latest period for which figures are available.

Tim Loughton: holding answer 14 November 2011
	The number of looked after children in England as at 41 March 2011 was 65,620. This information is contained in the Statistical First Release (Children Looked After by Local Authorities in England (including adoption and care leavers)—year ending 31 March 2011) which was published on 28 September 2011 at:
	http://www.education.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s001026/index.shtml
	Information on the number of children looked after in each local authority for the years ending 31 March 2007 to 2011 is contained in table LAA1 and is shown in the following table. The information can also be accessed in the above Statistical First Release (via the Excel link “Local Authority summary tables” on the release's web page).
	
		
			 Table LAA1: Children looked   after at 31 March, by local a  uthority  (1,2 )  years ending 31 March 2007 to 2011, Coverage: England 
			 Numbers and rates per 10,000 children aged under 18 years 
			  Numbers  (3) Rates  (4) 
			  2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 
			 England 59,970 59,360 60,890 64,410 65,520 55 54 55 58 59 
			            
			 North East 3,260 3,250 3,250 3,640 3,820 61 61 61 69 73 
			 Darlington 140 135 130 145 185 63 61 59 66 86 
			 Durham 410 410 435 500 520 40 40 43 49 52 
			 Gateshead 305 290 290 300 365 77 74 75 78 95 
			 Hartlepool 135 150 150 165 165 63 72 73 81 82 
			 Middlesbrough 245 270 275 320 330 77 85 87 102 105 
			 Newcastle Upon Tyne 470 455 460 525 525 90 87 89 101 101 
			 North Tyneside 230 230 210 275 285 57 57 53 69 71 
			 Northumberland 325 300 270 285 265 52 49 44 47 44 
			 Redcar and Cleveland 140 140 140 155 150 46 46 47 54 53 
			 South Tyneside 250 260 260 295 315 80 84 84 96 105 
			 Stockton-On-Tees 185 225 235 285 295 44 53 55 67 69 
			 Sunderland 415 390 395 390 410 71 67 68 69 73 
			            
			 North West 10,410 10,290 10,590 11,170 11,350 69 69 71 75 77 
			 Blackburn with Darwen 295 305 320 365 365 76 79 83 95 96 
			 Blackpool 265 280 325 375 395 88 93 109 128 136 
			 Bolton 405 420 435 480 520 65 68 70 77 83 
			 Bury 285 295 285 290 325 67 70 68 69 77 
		
	
	
		
			 Cheshire(5) 540 565 655 n/a n/a 37 39 45 n/a n/a 
			 Cheshire East(5) n/a n/a n/a 435 440 n/a n/a n/a 58 59 
			 Cheshire West and Chester(5) n/a n/a n/a 325 345 n/a n/a n/a 48 51 
			 Cumbria 470 480 450 510 505 46 48 45 52 53 
			 Halton 160 150 160 145 125 57 54 57 54 47 
			 Knowsley 295 305 305 295 285 81 87 87 87 85 
			 Lancashire 1,295 1,275 1,255 1,285 1,295 51 51 50 52 53 
			 Liverpool 860 845 860 920 940 96 96 99 108 111 
			 Manchester 1,480 1,430 1,405 1,425 1,385 158 151 148 149 142 
			 Oldham 390 340 325 345 335 71 62 59 63 61 
			 Rochdale 325 350 405 430 455 65 70 82 87 93 
			 Salford 570 530 490 495 580 122 115 105 106 123 
			 Sefton 325 315 365 375 380 55 54 64 67 70 
			 St Helens 320 315 325 355 345 81 81 84 93 91 
			 Stockport 330 310 315 315 295 54 51 52 52 49 
			 Tameside 330 310 330 350 375 68 64 68 73 78 
			 Trafford 215 235 235 250 265 46 49 50 52 54 
			 Warrington 185 200 245 265 245 43 46 57 61 57 
			 Wigan 400 425 485 510 465 60 64 73 77 71 
			 Wirral 670 610 625 630 680 97 89 92 93 102 
			            
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 6,540 6,530 6,720 7,060 7,300 59 59 61 64 66 
			 Barnsley 255 255 260 245 245 53 53 54 50 51 
			 Bradford 810 840 875 890 890 65 66 69 69 69 
			 Calderdale 260 250 270 270 320 57 55 60 59 70 
			 Doncaster 410 400 425 470 450 63 63 67 74 72 
			 East Riding of Yorkshire 295 260 255 275 305 45 39 38 42 47 
			 Kingston Upon Hull, City of 525 540 525 570 620 94 99 96 106 117 
			 Kirklees 385 445 505 555 590 41 47 54 59 62 
			 Leeds 1,355 1,360 1,335 1,420 1,450 88 89 88 93 95 
			 North East Lincolnshire 155 150 150 155 145 43 41 43 44 43 
			 North Lincolnshire 160 155 155 160 165 47 45 45 47 48 
			 North Yorkshire 425 410 415 470 475 34 34 34 39 40 
			 Rotherham 340 345 405 410 390 59 61 72 73 70 
			 Sheffield 665 635 590 580 625 62 60 56 54 59 
			 Wakefield 340 320 345 375 395 49 46 50 54 58 
			 York 155 170 200 225 235 45 48 58 64 67 
			            
			 East Midlands 3,680 3,730 3,910 4,200 4,430 39 40 42 45 48 
			 Derby 395 405 425 420 460 74 76 80 79 87 
			 Derbyshire 500 545 550 630 660 31 34 35 40 42 
			 Leicester 435 450 455 480 495 64 65 65 68 70 
			 Leicestershire 330 310 325 325 350 25 23 24 25 27 
			 Lincolnshire 525 530 540 525 490 37 38 39 38 35 
			 Northamptonshire 565 555 645 700 735 37 36 42 46 48 
			 Nottingham 465 475 475 520 520 83 85 85 93 92 
			 Nottinghamshire 440 455 480 575 685 27 28 30 36 43 
			 Rutland 20 15 20 30 35 24 15 19 32 37 
			            
			 West Midlands 7,310 7,370 7,630 8,010 8,180 61 61 64 67 68 
			 Birmingham 2,100 2,095 2,095 2,025 1,900 84 83 83 80 75 
			 Coventry 500 535 515 590 585 74 79 76 87 86 
			 Dudley 470 510 545 610 610 70 76 82 93 93 
			 Herefordshire 170 155 165 165 200 46 42 46 47 57 
			 Sandwell 500 480 475 510 545 74 71 70 74 79 
			 Shropshire 185 195 200 220 220 31 32 33 37 37 
			 Solihull 320 340 405 410 400 70 74 88 91 90 
			 Staffordshire 655 660 695 745 795 38 38 41 44 47 
			 Stoke-On-Trent 440 415 395 405 410 85 81 76 78 80 
			 Telford and Wrekin 230 230 250 270 270 60 61 66 71 71 
			 Walsall 430 445 465 495 520 71 74 77 82 85 
			 Warwickshire 455 485 540 585 635 41 43 48 53 57 
		
	
	
		
			 Wolverhampton 370 350 365 405 495 70 66 69 77 94 
			 Worcestershire 470 480 530 580 590 40 41 45 50 51 
			            
			 East of England 5,650 5,630 5,740 6,210 6,400 46 46 47 50 52 
			 Bedfordshire(5) 310 260 275 n/a n/a 34 29 30 n/a n/a 
			 Bedford Borough(5) n/a n/a n/a 165 165 n/a n/a n/a 46 46 
			 Central Bedfordshire(5) n/a n/a n/a 160 175 n/a n/a n/a 29 31 
			 Cambridgeshire 375 410 450 475 470 30 33 36 38 37 
			 Essex 1,235 1,270 1,330 1,465 1,580 42 43 45 49 53 
			 Hertfordshire 970 910 980 1,135 1,095 40 37 40 46 44 
			 Luton 380 385 340 340 385 81 82 72 70 78 
			 Norfolk 835 830 840 890 960 51 51 52 54 59 
			 Peterborough 375 350 315 300 310 96 90 80 75 76 
			 Southend-on-Sea 290 280 275 265 270 84 80 79 75 76 
			 Suffolk 695 725 715 785 785 46 48 48 52 52 
			 Thurrock 185 205 220 235 210 52 57 60 63 57 
			            
			 London 11,260 10,690 10,680 10,960 10,390 70 66 65 66 61 
			 Inner London 5,360 4,920 4,760 4,910 4,600 91 83 80 81 75 
			 Camden 345 275 270 265 275 89 72 69 67 69 
			 City of London 25 10 15 15 10 269 133 132 159 93 
			 Hackney 425 360 340 295 265 83 71 67 57 51 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 365 320 290 260 250 121 105 94 82 79 
			 Haringey 445 425 490 590 615 91 88 101 121 125 
			 Islington 365 330 305 315 325 109 99 92 94 94 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 200 175 165 155 130 69 60 55 52 43 
			 Lambeth 595 570 545 565 500 110 106 101 105 92 
			 Lewisham 455 465 465 525 485 81 82 81 90 81 
			 Newham 660 595 560 560 490 101 91 85 85 74 
			 Southwark 615 570 530 555 520 114 104 97 100 94 
			 Tower Hamlets 355 340 350 350 325 72 69 71 70 63 
			 Wandsworth 250 235 230 205 205 54 50 47 41 40 
			 Westminster 260 240 215 245 210 78 70 63 71 57 
			            
			 Outer London 5,890 5,770 5,920 6,050 5,780 57 56 56 57 54 
			 Barking and Dagenham 345 340 385 375 410 78 75 83 78 83 
			 Barnet 345 330 330 310 305 46 44 43 40 38 
			 Bexley 205 210 215 220 215 40 41 42 43 41 
			 Brent 405 365 360 370 385 72 66 64 65 66 
			 Bromley 265 260 250 285 265 40 39 37 42 39 
			 Croydon 990 1,045 1,070 1,005 845 125 132 134 125 104 
			 Ealing 440 395 395 400 385 68 61 60 60 56 
			 Enfield 290 255 260 280 305 43 38 38 40 42 
			 Greenwich 525 515 530 595 590 101 99 101 112 109 
			 Harrow 160 140 150 160 140 32 29 30 32 28 
			 Havering 185 190 200 200 200 37 38 39 39 39 
			 Hillingdon 500 475 450 425 385 86 82 76 71 63 
			 Hounslow 340 335 340 355 345 70 68 69 71 67 
			 Kingston Upon Thames 80 90 110 125 115 25 28 33 38 33 
			 Merton 95 105 115 135 130 24 26 28 33 31 
			 Redbridge 175 180 215 230 210 29 29 34 35 32 
			 Richmond Upon Thames 85 95 90 95 90 22 24 22 24 22 
			 Sutton 145 120 120 145 165 34 29 29 34 37 
			 Waltham Forest 330 325 335 335 310 63 61 63 62 56 
			            
			 South East 7,310 7,360 7,660 8,150 8,480 41 41 42 45 46 
			 Bracknell Forest 80 75 80 90 85 29 28 31 33 32 
			 Brighton and Hove 400 370 395 465 485 88 81 85 99 103 
			 Buckinghamshire 315 290 330 345 385 28 26 29 30 33 
			 East Sussex 435 445 480 530 585 42 43 46 51 57 
			 Hampshire 1,025 1,015 1,085 1,105 1,085 37 37 39 40 39 
			 Isle Of Wight 200 200 195 180 175 73 73 72 68 67 
		
	
	
		
			 Kent 1,240 1,355 1,420 1,475 1,695 40 44 46 47 54 
			 Medway Towns 340 330 310 350 425 57 55 52 60 73 
			 Milton Keynes 215 210 225 260 270 39 38 40 45 46 
			 Oxfordshire 410 405 410 450 430 30 30 30 33 31 
			 Portsmouth 265 260 285 290 315 68 68 74 76 82 
			 Reading 215 215 195 205 215 73 74 66 67 69 
			 Slough 135 120 135 175 170 46 42 45 56 53 
			 Southampton 295 270 290 375 385 70 63 67 86 89 
			 Surrey 750 790 820 765 735 32 33 34 32 30 
			 West Berkshire 115 115 95 125 125 33 32 27 34 34 
			 West Sussex 735 755 750 785 750 45 46 45 48 45 
			 Windsor and Maidenhead 85 75 90 105 105 26 22 27 32 31 
			 Wokingham 65 70 65 80 70 19 19 19 22 20 
			            
			 South West 4,560 4,520 4,710 5,000 5,160 43 43 45 47 49 
			 Bath and North East Somerset 130 130 120 140 160 38 38 35 41 47 
			 Bournemouth 145 160 180 205 200 51 56 62 69 68 
			 Bristol, City of 635 665 650 645 680 81 84 82 80 84 
			 Cornwall 465 415 460 450 475 45 40 44 43 45 
			 Devon 585 555 540 615 645 40 38 37 43 45 
			 Dorset 255 280 265 275 275 31 35 33 34 34 
			 Gloucestershire 400 390 465 490 485 32 31 38 40 39 
			 Isles Of Scilly 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 North Somerset 160 175 195 225 230 38 41 46 53 53 
			 Plymouth 390 370 380 435 375 77 74 76 87 76 
			 Poole 110 105 115 120 135 38 37 41 42 47 
			 Somerset 385 375 395 430 450 34 33 36 39 41 
			 South Gloucestershire 170 170 180 185 210 30 31 32 33 38 
			 Swindon 255 220 240 245 235 60 52 55 56 53 
			 Torbay 185 175 180 180 220 71 67 70 71 86 
			 Wiltshire 295 335 340 355 385 29 33 33 35 38 
			 n/a = Not applicable. (1) Figures exclude children looked after under an agreed series of short term placements. (2) Historical data may differ from older publications. This is mainly due to the implementation of amendments and corrections sent by some local authorities after the publication date of previous materials. (3) England and Regional totals have been rounded to the nearest 10. Other numbers have been rounded to the nearest 5. See Technical Notes for more information on rounding. (4) The rates per 10,000 children under 18 years have been derived using the mid-year population estimates for 2010 provided by the Office for National Statistics. (5) In 2009, Cheshire local authority split into Cheshire East and Cheshire West and Chester. Similarly, Bedfordshire LA split into Bedford and Central Bedfordshire. Source: SSDA 903

Children: Hyperactivity

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment his Department has made of the effects of (a) attention deficit disorder and (b) hyperactivity on educational attainment among school pupils.

Sarah Teather: The Department has not made an assessment of the effects of attention deficit disorder or hyperactivity on educational attainment among school pupils. However, the recent Green Paper, “Support and aspiration: a new approach to special educational needs and disability”, sets out plans to improve the early identification of and support for pupil with special educational needs. Proposals include sharpening the focus on special educational needs within the standards for qualified teacher status and increasing the number of initial teacher training placements in special schools.
	Maintaining and improving SEN skills through continual professional development (CPD) is equally a priority for the Government. The Training and Development Agency for Schools is currently developing online CPD materials for teachers on dyslexia; behavioural, emotional and social difficulties; and speech, language and communication needs. These build on the successful Inclusion Development programme materials which have helped teachers and other staff become more confident in identifying SEN and disabilities and responding appropriately.

Children: Protection

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will ensure that the forthcoming revised Working Together guidance enables professionals to have adequate time to undertake thorough assessments in cases of child neglect.

Tim Loughton: holding answer 14 November 2011
	The Government response to Professor's Eileen Munro's final report into the review of Child Protection “A child-centred system” committed to a major revision of the statutory guidance “Working Together to Safeguard Children” and the “Framework for the Assessment of Children in Need and their Families” by July 2012.
	Eight local authorities are currently trialling more flexible approaches to assessments that focus on timeliness and the quality of assessment, rather than being driven by prescriptive time scales. These more flexible approaches are intended to enable social workers to focus more close on outcomes for vulnerable children and to complete robust assessments.
	The trials are due to finish on 1 December.
	Professor Munro stressed the importance of professionals making a proportionate assessment that delivers an accurate understanding of a child's needs and circumstances in order to inform effective planning and the delivery of early help services. Government are committed to building on these principles which are being tested by the trial local authorities, the results of which will be used to inform the revised Working Together guidance on assessment. Subject to this evidence, an interim amendment to “Working Together to Safeguard Children” will be made in December 2011.
	The Government have committed to work in partnership with the sector to revise “Working Together to Safeguard Children” by July 2012. A full, formal consultation will commence from early 2012. A multi-disciplinary Professional Advisory Group has been convened and is advising on proposed revisions to the statutory guidance.

Departmental Freedom of Information

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Education in respect of how many responses to requests for information received by his Department under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 the reason of (a) commercially sensitive information, (b) information not held, (c) information too costly to provide and (d) vexatious or repeated requests has been given in response since January 2010.

Tim Loughton: This information is available on the Ministry of Justice website. Quarterly and annual statistics on Freedom of Information requests can be found at:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/statistics-and-data/foi/implementation-editions.htm
	and copies are available in the House Libraries. Information for the third and fourth quarters of 2011 is not yet available.

Departmental Pay

Stephen Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many officials in his Department received a pay rise other than by promotion in the last two years; and what the average increase was in each such year.

Tim Loughton: In 2010/11, 2,551 of staff received a pay rise covering the last year of a 2008/10 pay deal. The Department then entered a two-year pay freeze in 2011/12. 170 staff on full-time equivalent earnings of under £21,000 a year received a pay rise of £250 in 2011/12.
	The average increase for 2010/11 was £1,404 and £250 for 2011/12.

Free School Meals

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many children qualified for free school meals on the basis of their household being in receipt of child tax credit, having an annual income that does not exceed £16,190 and not being in receipt of income support, jobseekers allowance, employment and support allowance or the guarantee element of state pension credit in the latest period for which figures are available.

Nick Gibb: The Department does not hold information on the number of children who qualify for free school meals under each benefit. School census data from January 2011 shows the number known to be eligible and claiming free school meals, under all criteria in maintained nursery, state-funded primary, secondary and special schools, pupil referral units and alternative provision, is 1,267,605.

Music: Education

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education 
	(1)  what plans his Department has to support the Sing Up programme in (a) 2012-13, (b) 2013-14 and (c) 2014-15;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of progress with his plan to develop a procurement strategy for musical instruments;
	(3)  what provision his Department has made for funding music education in each of the next four years;
	(4)  what steps he is taking to develop whole class ensemble teaching programmes in schools.

Nick Gibb: holding answers 14 November 2011
	We will shortly publish a National Plan for Music Education, which will reform the delivery and funding of music education. It will ensure that ail pupils have the opportunity to learn an instrument, learn to sing, have opportunities to play in ensembles and have access to musical progression routes regardless of where they live and their family circumstances. The needs of the pupil will be at the heart of the plan, ensuring that all pupils have access to high quality music education.

Schools: Bassetlaw

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Education 
	(1)  what new schools have been proposed for Bassetlaw through the Priority School Building Programme; and at what cost;
	(2)  how many schools in Bassetlaw with asbestos will not receive funding to deal with it under the Priority School Building Programme.

Nick Gibb: holding answers 21 October 2011
	No proposals for brand new schools for Bassetlaw have been submitted for the Priority School Building Programme (PSBP). However, there is an assumption that schools funded through PSPB would need to have at least 70% new build to be viable as privately financed projects—effectively defining them as 'new' schools. The schools in Bassetlaw listed as follows have been submitted for the programme .
	Hallcroft Infant School
	Tuxford Primary School
	Dyscarr Primary School
	Carr Hill Primary School
	Sutton-cum-Lound CE Primary School
	Kingston Park Primary School
	St Swithun's CE Primary School
	Misterton Primary School
	Rampton Primary School
	Cost information on projects is not yet available. This will be produced in consultation with the schools and local authorities as part of the outline business case development.
	PSBP aims to address school buildings in the very worst condition. Asbestos containing materials that are maintained in good condition and in accordance with the Control of Asbestos Regulations are not recommended for routine removal.

Teachers: Training

Damian Hinds: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what proportion of entrants to the teaching profession, starting in (a) maintained primary schools and (b) maintained secondary schools had previously undertaken (i) a Postgraduate Certificate in Education course, (ii) the Graduate Teacher Programme, (iii) a Bachelor of Education course, (iv) a BA/BSc with Qualified Teacher Status course, (v) the Teach First programme and (vi) another entry course or programme for each of the last 10 years.

Nick Gibb: The following table provides the proportion of entrants in service by phase and initial teacher training route in March of each year from 2000 to 2009. The figures include teachers who had entered service after acquiring qualified teacher status, (QTS), through college based training and those who had entered service and were working towards QTS status on Employment Based Routes to QTS.
	
		
			 Proportion of newly qualified entrants i  n service in March of   each year  (1)  , by phase and initial teacher training route  .   Years: March 2000 to March 2009. Coverage: England 
			  Post Graduate Certificate of Education Graduate Teachers Scheme Batchelor of Education and other undergraduate courses leading to QTS status  (2) 
			  Nursery/primary Secondary Nursery/primary Secondary Nursery/primary Secondary 
			 March       
			 2000 40 86 (5)— (5)— 60 14 
			 2001 46 87 (5)— (5)— 54 13 
			 2002 45 71 (5)— (5)— 43 10 
			 2003 45 71 (5)— (5)— 41 8 
			 2004 45 68 18 24 35 7 
			 2005 47 67 17 21 30 6 
			 2006 50 66 17 22 27 6 
			 2007 47 64 17 22 28 6 
			 2008 45 63 17 23 32 7 
			 2009 45 62 16 24 33 7 
		
	
	
		
			  Teach First Other employment based routes to QTS status  (3,4) Total 
			  Nursery/primary Secondary Nursery/primary Secondary Nursery/primary Secondary 
			 March       
			 2000 (5)— (5)— (6)— (6)— 100 100 
			 2001 (5)— (5)— (6)— (6)— 100 100 
			 2002 (5)— (5)— 13 19 100 100 
			 2003 (5)— (5)— 14 21 100 100 
			 2004 (5)— (5)— 1 0 100 100 
			 2005 (5)— (5)— 7 6 100 100 
			 2006 0 1 6 5 100 100 
			 2007 0 2 8 6 100 100 
			 2008 0 2 6 5 100 100 
			 2009 0 3 5 4 100 100 
			 (1) All teachers were in service in March of each year having qualified in the previous calendar year or had entered service and were on the Graduate Teacher Scheme, Teacher First or other employment based routes to QTS.  (2) Includes teachers on BA/BSc courses leading to QTS status. These cannot be separately identified within the data.  (3 )Includes teachers on the Overseas Trained Teacher and Registered Teacher Programmes.  (4) For undergraduate employment based route to QTS the numbers in the first year of the course are counted.  (5) Not applicable.  (6) Not available.  Source:  DTR and TDA performance profiles.

Teachers: Training

Craig Whittaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what provision for the training of teachers who work in schools registered as special schools is placed for those going through initial teacher training.

Nick Gibb: holding answer 15 November 2011
	All teachers with qualified teacher status (QTS) should receive a specific element of training on special educational needs and disability (SEND) as part of their initial teacher training (ITT). The standards for the award of QTS set out what trainee teachers must know, understand and be able to do in both maintained schools and non-maintained special schools in which holders of QTS may teach. Trainees will be supported in addressing all the standards through taught sessions and guidance in schools, for example, working with SEN co-ordinators and reviewing statements of special needs with other teachers.
	Teacher training providers may also choose to offer an additional specialism in SEN by offering training that takes place in a special school.
	The Green Paper: “Support and Aspiration: A New Approach to Special Educational Needs and Disability” has made a number of commitments to improve the quality of the SEND training provision. This includes, providing additional funding for initial teacher training providers to secure a greater number of placements for trainee teachers in special school settings.
	There is no statutory requirement within ITT to prepare teachers for working in special schools.

Air Travel Organisers’ Licence

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether her Department has conducted an assessment of the cost for online travel agencies of implementing her proposed reforms of the ATOL scheme.

Theresa Villiers: An impact assessment was published alongside the ATOL Reform consultation document.
	A revised impact assessment will be published when a final decision on the reforms consulted on is announced shortly. This will incorporate relevant information from consultation responses about the cost of implementing the reforms for travel trade businesses, including those that operate on line.

Aviation: Safety

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps she is taking to investigate cases where both pilots are simultaneously asleep while piloting aircraft.

Theresa Villiers: The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has not received any reports of such events. If one were reported it would be investigated as part of the CAAs oversight process.

Bus Services: Rural Areas

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the Government's response to the Transport Committee's Eighth Report of Session 2010-12, bus services after the Spending Review, published with the Committee's Ninth Special Report of Session 2010-12, HC 1550, when her Department will publish the result of research with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to investigate the state of the rural community transport sector and how rural communities are responding positively to deliver innovative local community transport services.

Norman Baker: The Community Transport Association intends to publish their State of the Sector report in the middle of 2012. This will include additional details and analysis of the rural community transport sector prepared in co-operation with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Cycling

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps her Department is taking to promote cycling proficiency in (a) children and (b) adults,

Norman Baker: This financial year, the Department has made £11 million funding contributions available to local highways authorities and school games organiser host schools. This will enable up to 275,000 school children to access Bikeability cycle training in England, excluding London. (Cycle training in London is matter for Transport for London and the London boroughs, although the Department does provide some funding to school games organiser host schools based in London.)
	Bikeability may also be completed by adults. Further information, including links to training courses, is available on the Bikeability website at:
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/bikeability/the-three-levels/cycling-skills-for-adults/

Departmental Judicial Review

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what applications for judicial review have been made against her Department (a) in the last Parliament and (b) since May 2010; whether each such application (i) succeeded, (ii) failed and (iii) remains pending; what legal costs were incurred by her Department for each such application; in each failed application whether she applied for costs against the applicant and whether they were (A) awarded and (B) paid; whether her Department (1) paid for and (2) offered to pay for the legal costs incurred by each such applicant; and what the total cost to the public purse was of payment of the legal costs for each such applicant.

Norman Baker: During the last Parliament, ie May 2005 to April 2010, 96 new judicial review cases were opened against the Department and its seven executive agencies.
	Since May 2010, a further 21 new cases have been opened.
	To provide all of the information requested about the outcome and costs of those judicial review proceedings would, I regret, incur a disproportionate cost, because the records held on our behalf by the Treasury Solicitor's Department are not broken down in that manner.
	However, the following information is readily available:
	The total costs, including all fees charges and disbursements, incurred on the 96 cases opened between May 2005 and April 2010 are £1,511,904.66 (including VAT) to date.
	The total costs incurred on the 21 cases opened since May 2010 are £67,847.81 (including VAT) to date.
	Please note that 46 of the above cases are still ongoing, and the above figures are therefore correct only up to 10 November 2011.
	Please also note that the majority of the final litigation costs for the cases opened since May 2010 will not, in all probability, have been incurred as yet.
	It is the normal policy for the Department to seek recovery of its costs where it is successful in litigation.
	Data on adverse costs, i.e. costs awarded against the Department, are available only for the period 1 July 2010 to 31 March 2010. The total amount awarded during this period was £668,597.00.

Departmental Responsibilities

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport at how events organised by (a) charities, (b) other civil society groups, (c) businesses and (d) lobbying organisations Ministers and senior officials in her Department have given speeches in each month since May 2010; and if she will make a statement.

Norman Baker: This information could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. However, details of keynote ministerial speeches are available on the Department's website at:
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/ministers/

Departmental Written Questions

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many parliamentary questions for (a) ordinary written answer and (b) written answer on a named day by her Department have remained unanswered for a period of two months since May 2010.

Norman Baker: The number of questions remaining unanswered two months after their date of publication was (a) 48 for ordinary written answer, and (b) eight for named day answer.
	The Government have committed to providing the Procedure Committee with information relating to written parliamentary question performance on a sessional basis and will provide full information to the committee at the end of the session. Statistics relating to Government Department’s performance for the 2009-10 parliamentary session were previously provided to the committee and are available on the Parliament website.

Exhaust Emissions: EU Law

John Whittingdale: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment she has made of fuel treatment solutions as a means of meeting new Euro 4 and Euro 5 emission standards.

Norman Baker: Although some fuel additives are capable of reducing the deterioration of an engine with respect to its emissions of air quality pollutants we are aware of none which would actually improve the performance of a vehicle meeting an earlier emissions stage sufficiently that it would meet a later one. There are, in addition, potential problems with respect to some additives, such as fuel-borne catalysts, since these can result in the production of emissions which, although not currently regulated as vehicle exhaust pollutants, may themselves be hazardous to health.

Motorways: Speed Limits

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions she has had with Ministers in the devolved Administrations on proposals to increase the national speed limit to 80 mph for motorways.

Michael Penning: Officials in the Department for Transport have been in contact with officials in the Scottish Government, the Welsh Assembly and DOE (Northern Ireland).

Railways: Franchises

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much her Department has spent on (a) solicitors and (b) consultants in connection with work on the (A)Great Western, (B) Essex Thameside, (c) Southeastern and (D) Transpennine Express rail franchise in the last 12 months.

Theresa Villiers: holding answer 14 November 2011
	The information is as follows.
	(a) In the last 12 months the Department has spent the following amounts on solicitors (external) in connection with the franchises in the following table:
	
		
			  Amount 
			 (A) Great Western £25,000 to £30,000 
			 (B) Essex Thameside 0 
			 (C) Southeastern £40,000 to £45,000 
			 (D) Transpennine Express £78,500 
		
	
	(b) In the last 12 months the Department has spent the following amounts on consultants in connection with the franchises in the following table:
	
		
			  Amount 
			 (A) Great Western £58,000 to £63,000 
			 (B) Essex Thameside 0 
			 (C) Southeastern £220,000 to £225,000 
			 (D) Transpennine Express £27,525 
		
	
	These amounts exclude those that have been incurred for stand-alone projects that will have an impact on these franchises in future (eg the IEP and Crossrail programmes which will affect Great Western).

Roads: Snow and Ice

John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what level of de-icing salt stockholding is held by (a) local authorities, (b) the Highways Agency and (c) the national strategic reserve; and what estimate she has made of the level of each such stockholding on 1 December 2011;
	(2)  what information her Department holds on how many occasions and on what dates the Salt Cell has met in 2011 to date.

Norman Baker: holding answer 25 October 2011
	A recent survey carried out by the Department for Transport estimated that total salt stocks of over 2.5 million tonnes were held by local and national highway authorities in Great Britain at the end of September 2011. This includes strategic stocks. The breakdown is as follows:
	
		
			  Tonnes  (1)   (Thousand) 
			 English local highway authorities 1,047 
			 Transport for London stockpile 27 
			 English local sub-total 1,074 
			   
			 Highways Agency operational stock 282 
		
	
	
		
			 Highways Agency strategic stockpile 120 
			 Highways Agency sub-total 402 
			   
			 English national strategic stockpile 305 
			   
			 Total England 1,781 
			 Total Wales 217 
			 Total Scotland 518 
			 Total Great Britain 2,516 
			 (1 )Rounded. 
		
	
	Comparable data for the same time last year is available only for England and Scotland. It shows an increase in stocks of over 1 million tonnes since that time.
	No estimates have been made of salt stock levels as of 1 December 2011 as these will depend on factors including future weather, salt utilisation and further orders from highway authorities. The Department for Transport has arrangements in place to periodically monitor salt stocks, so that we can identify risks early on and co-ordinate any further action as necessary.
	“Salt Cell” was not initiated in winter 2010-11 as there was no need to advise salt suppliers on the prioritisation of their own deliveries. Instead, a Winter Road Salt Network Group, chaired by officials from the Department for Transport and involving the Highways Agency, Met Office, Cabinet Office, local government representatives, Welsh Assembly Government and Transport Scotland, met regularly during the 2010-11 winter season to monitor stocks and, where appropriate, advise on allocations from the national strategic stockpile to bolster resilience in parts of the country. Since the end of the last winter season, the group has met three times to discuss resilience preparations in advance of winter 2011-12.

Rolling Stock: Procurement

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport for which rolling stock contracts her Department has not yet awarded preferred bidder status; how many carriages each such contract requires; and what the value is of each of such contract.

Theresa Villiers: holding answer 31 October 2011
	At present, there are no current rolling stock contracts for which my Department has not yet awarded preferred bidder status.
	However, my Department is working closely with Transport for London (TfL), as co-sponsors of the Crossrail project, to support Crossrail Ltd in delivering Rail for London’s procurement of rolling stock and depot for the future Crossrail service.
	Around 600 new carriages will be provided as part of the contract. Notice of this procurement was published by Crossrail Ltd in the Official Journal of the European Union on 1 December 2010, and the Invitation to Negotiate documentation, which will set out in more detail the scope of services to be provided by bidders, is currently being developed by Crossrail Ltd.
	The delivery profile and costs of the rolling stock are commercially confidential and subject to negotiation with bidders.

Child Support Agency

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent representations he has received on the effectiveness of the Child Support Agency in pursuing court action for non-payment of child maintenance.

Maria Miller: The Child Support Agency (CSA) has a range of administrative enforcement options available. Where these options cannot be used the CSA will use its court based options to best effect in order to try and achieve a successful outcome. I have received representations from both stakeholder organisations and parents in relation to the effectiveness of pursuing this court action for non-payment of arrears of child support maintenance.
	Although there is no data available on the numbers and types of representations in this area, anecdotally, representations received from parents with care are to the effect that the CSA should pursue the collection of child support arrears by every means available. Some parents with care express dissatisfaction that the CSA's actions through the courts have not achieved the level or speed of payment they desired and requesting increased enforcement powers. However, it should be noted that the CSA receives a number of thank you letters from parents with care who have now received the sums of child support arrears due to them as a result of a proactive approach to debt enforcement.
	Representations received from non-resident parents support the view that the CSA should not pursue the collection of their child support arrears through court action. Both parties make representations in respect of any outcomes resulting from court proceedings they have attended. Generally speaking an outcome in the non-resident parent's favour will not be to the satisfaction of the parent with care and vice-versa.
	Organisations representing parents or the legal profession occasionally make representations relating to the CSA's actions in individual court cases and/or to issues of policy or practice that they believe these cases highlight. These representations can argue that the CSA has acted inappropriately in pursuing a case or should be more active in using the courts to pursue child maintenance arrears.
	We will continue to review the Commission's success in the exercise of these enforcement powers, and the Government may opt to introduce further measures contained in the Child Maintenance and Other Payments Act 2008 (subject to a public consultation where appropriate) if it is deemed in the public interest to do so.

Crisis Loans

Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many applications for Social Fund crisis loans were received (a) by telephone, (b) in writing and (c) in person in the last 12 months.

Steve Webb: Information as to the way in which each application is made is not gathered. However, the majority of applications are made via the telephone.

Crisis Loans

Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many appeals against social fund crisis loan decisions were (a) upheld and (b) rejected in the last 12 months for which figures are available.

Steve Webb: Crisis loans are part of the discretionary social fund and there is no right of appeal.
	A discretionary social fund applicant who is dissatisfied with a decision may apply to have the initial decision reviewed. First reviews are carried out by a reviewing officer in Jobcentre Plus. If the applicant is not happy with the outcome of the first review they can apply to the Independent Review Service for a review by a social fund inspector.
	Figures for reviews are contained in annex 13 to the annual report by the Secretary of State for Work and Pension on the social fund 2010-11. There were 107,230 applications for first review and 40,910 decisions were revised. The Independent Review Service reviewed 17,465 reviewing officer decisions, 8,983 of these decisions were confirmed and 8,482 were substituted.

Departmental Judicial Review

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what applications for judicial review have been made against his Department (a) in the last Parliament and (b) since May 2010; whether each such application (i) succeeded, (ii) failed and (iii) remains pending; what legal costs were incurred by his Department for each such application; in each failed application whether he applied for costs against the applicant and whether they were (A) awarded and (B) paid; whether his Department (1) paid for and (2) offered to pay for the legal costs incurred by each such applicant; and what the total cost to the public purse was of payment of the legal costs for each such applicant.

Chris Grayling: The Department for Work and Pensions dealt with 1,169 potential or actual judicial review cases in the last Parliament and has dealt with 351 such cases since May 2010. The Department does not keep a central record of the additional information requested. In order to be able to provide an answer to the questions it would be necessary to retrieve the majority of these files from our central storage facility which is located outside of London. Each individual file would then have to be interrogated to establish what information is held, some of these cases will be of a considerable size. I would estimate that this would take at least several weeks to do and would therefore be at a disproportionate cost.

Departmental Written Questions

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many parliamentary questions for (a) ordinary written answer and (b) written answer on a named day by his Department have remained unanswered for a period of two months since May 2010.

Chris Grayling: In common with other Government Departments, DWP measures performance on parliamentary questions in 'sitting days' to reflect the fact that it is not possible to answer questions when Parliament is in recess. Up to 31 October 2011, the number of ordinary written questions that remained unanswered after 40 sitting days, the approximate equivalent of two months, was 43 which represents 1.1% of the total number of ordinary written questions answered by the Department. No questions for written answer on a named day remained unanswered after 40 sitting days.
	The Government have committed to providing the Procedure Committee with information relating to written parliamentary question performance on a sessional basis and will provide full information to the Committee at the end of the Session. Statistics relating to Government Department's performance for the 2009-10 parliamentary Session were previously provided to the committee and are available on the Parliament website.

Employment and Support Allowance

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many new employment and support allowance claims have been made in (a) Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside, (c) the North East and (d) the UK since the introduction of that allowance.

Chris Grayling: The information requested is as follows:
	
		
			 Employment and support allowance (ESA) on-flows—Each quarter November 2008 to February 2011 
			  Great Britain North East region South Tyneside local authority Jarrow parliamentary constituency 
			 2008     
			 November 54,150 3,280 240 110 
			      
			 2009     
			 February 141,320 9,130 620 290 
			 May 160,740 10,210 730 360 
			 August 164,910 10,440 790 370 
			 November 159,600 10,490 760 360 
			      
			 2010     
			 February 154,960 10,380 750 360 
			 May 165,370 10,510 720 340 
			 August 166,520 10,140 680 310 
			 November 163,980 10,080 670 290 
			      
			 2011     
			 February 158,610 9,840 690 320 
			 Notes:  1. Caseload figures are rounded to the nearest ten.  2. Figures will exclude some short-term flows not captured by the relevant scans.  3. Figures show the total number of spells on this benefit that commence within the quarter. A person may flow on and off the same benefit more than once during a quarter. Does not include flows where people move out of one area and into another while remaining on the benefit.  4. Employment and support allowance replaced incapacity benefit and income support paid on the grounds of incapacity for new claims from 27 October 2008.  5. Figures are published on the Department's website at: http://83.244.183.180/flows/flows_on/esa/tabtool_esa.html 6. Northern Ireland data is the responsibility of the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland and the data are published at: http://www.dsdni.gov.uk/index/stats_and_research.htm Source:  DWP Information, Governance and Security Directorate: 100% Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study.

Employment and Support Allowance

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many employment and support allowance claimants in (a) Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside, (c) the North East and (d) the UK have completed a work capability assessment in the last 12 months.

Chris Grayling: The following table shows completed employment and support allowance (ESA) work capability assessments taking place between June 2010 and May 2011 (this is the latest 12-month period for which these figures are available). Information is unavailable for the Jarrow constituency and data for Great Britain are given in place of data for the United Kingdom as data for Northern Ireland is not available. The numbers provided have been rounded to the nearest hundred—as a result, figures may not sum to the totals shown.
	
		
			 Table 1: Completed assessments 
			  Initial assessment Repeat assessment Total 
			 South Tyneside 1,900 500 2,400 
			 North East 28,400 8,400 36,800 
			 Great Britain 447,500 158,100 605,700 
			 Notes:  1. The Department regularly publishes official statistics on the employment and support allowance (ESA) work capability assessment at the national level. The latest report, published in October 2011, and can be found here: http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/workingage/index.php?page=esa_wca 2. The data presented above comes from benefit claims data held by the Department for Work and Pensions and functional assessment data from Atos Healthcare.  3. These figures do not include IB reassessment claims.  4. A small number of clerical assessments, where the result cannot be determined from DWP benefits data, are excluded from these figures.

Employment and Support Allowance

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of people who will fall into poverty as a result of the time-limiting of contributory employment and support allowance.

Chris Grayling: The Department has not conducted a full assessment of the impacts on poverty of the proposal to time limit those receiving contributory employment and support allowance (ESA) in the work related activity group. However, indicative analysis suggests it will have no significant impact on relative child or pensioner poverty and an increase in relative working age poverty of up to a maximum of 100,000 people by 2015-16. This is based on the change in equivalised household incomes relative to 60% of the contemporary median equivalised household income.
	The Department published an impact assessment for this proposal, available at the following link:
	http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/esa-time-limit-wr2011-ia-revised-apr2011.pdf
	This includes analysis which shows that although many of the people affected by time limiting are in the lowest income deciles, these will tend to be either fully, or partially compensated by income-related ESA; and those who will not be eligible for income-related benefits are typically in the middle or higher deciles.
	Notes:
	1. There is unavoidable uncertainty whenever estimating the effect of policy changes on poverty. Uncertainty arises because HBAI poverty statistics are based on survey data which only captures a sample of households from the population—this sampling introduces variability from year to year in statistics as the survey sample is redrawn and new people are interviewed.
	2. Uncertainty also arises because estimated policy effects are dependent on modelling assumptions which may be imperfect.
	3. Poverty statistics are based on analysis from the Department's Policy Simulation Model. They are routinely rounded to the nearest 100,000. This is a reflection of the degree of confidence we should have when examining and comparing these statistics across groups and overtime.

Employment and Support Allowance

Craig Whittaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the adequacy of provision of benefits for those in the work related activity group of the contribution based employment and support allowance who will (a) have experienced a gap in provision of support prior to the introduction of the New Work programme, (b) have had the 12 month rule applied retrospectively and (c) have been in receipt of this benefit for the 12 months prior to April 2012.

Chris Grayling: No direct assessment is made of the adequacy of benefits. However, the information that is available on the impact of time limiting is contained in the impact assessment, which can be found at:
	http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/esa-time-limit-wr2011-ia-revised-apr2011.pdf
	The Work programme is now in place. Most employment and support allowance (ESA) recipients will have the option of accessing the Work programme at any point after their initial work capability assessment. Credits only claimants—those who do not get any benefit, but get national insurance credits to protect their pension once their benefit has expired—will be able to access the Work programme on a voluntary basis.
	The time limit is not being applied retrospectively. The amendments proposed in the Welfare Reform Bill are changing the conditions of entitlement for the future. Entitlement will not end until after the relevant provisions in the Bill are commenced. This will not affect any entitlement which has already arisen. The provisions do not seek to recover past ESA payments, rather they are defining future entitlement on the basis of whether, at the time the clause is commenced, they have been in receipt of contributory ESA in the work related activity group, and if so, for how long.

Employment and Support Allowance: HIV Infection

Pamela Nash: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people with HIV have been assessed for employment and support allowance (a) following a new claim and (b) as part of the migration from incapacity benefit.

Chris Grayling: The information is as follows:
	(a)Since the introduction of employment and support allowance (ESA) in October 2008 to May 2011 (the latest data available) there have been 1,100 initial assessments completed where the primary condition was recorded as human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).
	(b) Statistics on the number of assessments for ESA as part of the incapacity benefit reassessment process are currently unavailable. Therefore we are unable to provide the information requested.
	Due to the overall length of the incapacity benefits reassessment process, information on the entire process including the final outcomes and subsequent destinations of claimants being reassessed is not yet available. Individual level data are being collected, but it will take time to complete because of the overall length of the reassessment process. The Department plans to publish data on the outcomes of the reassessment process but only once it has been quality assured and is considered robust.

Employment and Support Allowance: HIV Infection

Pamela Nash: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people with HIV are in receipt of (a) incapacity benefit and (b) employment and support allowance.

Chris Grayling: The information requested is as follows:
	
		
			 Incapacity benefit (IB)/severe disablement allowance (SDA) and employment and support allowance (ESA) claimants with a diagnosis of HIV—February 2011 
			  IB/SDA ESA 
			 Unspecified HIV 3,900 860 
			 Notes: 1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10. 2. To qualify for incapacity benefit, claimants have to undertake a medical assessment of incapacity for work called a personal capability assessment. Under the employment and support allowance (ESA) regime, new claimants have to undergo the work capability assessment. From April 2011 incapacity benefit (IB) recipients will begin also to undertake this assessment. The medical condition recorded on the claim form does not itself confer entitlement to IB or ESA. So, for example, a decision on entitlement for a customer claiming IB or ESA on the basis of mental and behavioural disorders would be based on their ability to carry out the range of activities assessed by the personal/work capability assessment. 3. The figures represent those cases where the main disabling condition of the person claiming is ‘Unspecified HIV’. 4. ‘Unspecified HIV’ includes the diagnoses of Aids, HIV Infection and HIV Positive. 5. Incapacity benefit was replaced by employment support allowance from October 2008. 6. Data include people in receipt of benefit and also those who fail the contributions conditions but receive a national insurance credit, i.e. ‘credits only cases’. 7. Great Britain total includes a small number of cases resident abroad. Source: DWP Information, Governance and Security Directorate 100% Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study.

Employment and Support Allowance: HIV Infection

Pamela Nash: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what training on HIV awareness is provided to (a) DWP staff deciding on claims for employment and support allowance, (b) Atos healthcare professionals conducting work capability assessments and (c) Jobcentre Plus staff.

Chris Grayling: The Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) trains its staff in the skills required to support a range of customers and claimants and to respect their individual needs. This approach ensures that our employees are equipped to deal with a diverse set of circumstances while treating everyone as an individual.
	The learning programme for Jobcentre Plus focuses on raising awareness of the claimants' personal circumstances and also recognises that disabilities and health conditions can affect individuals in different ways and will change over time.
	(a) Employment and support allowance (ESA) staff have intranet access to the Customer Case Management System which provides an overview of medical conditions including HIV and AIDS. Learning for ESA decision makers, also attended by ATOS Health Care Professionals, refers these decision makers to this site to raise their awareness of a number of health conditions. Staff deciding on claims for ESA are also trained to seek help from an ATOS Health Care Professional if they require specific information regarding the effects of a health condition on the individual.
	(b) ATOS Healthcare's new entrant training includes a module on HIV and AIDS and there is a learning set on the subject available to all health care professionals as part of ATOS' Continuing Medical Education programme.
	(c) All Jobcentre Plus staff receive foundation learning which covers excellent customer service, diversity and customer needs. These deal with the wide range of circumstances that our claimants may have, some less obvious than others, and stress how important it is to look for signs where the claimant does not give us this information directly and to offer appropriate support.
	All our front-facing staff are equipped to help the claimant focus on what they can do in the world of work and where necessary, to signpost them to where they can get specialist help to reflect particular conditions. Part of this specialist help can come from our Disability Employment Advisers who have extensive and specialist learning in addition to the detail provided above.
	In addition an event called 'Raising the Game', aimed at elevated awareness of disability and perceptions of disabled people, includes information on HIV and AIDS. This is a national event designed for front-facing staff including their managers. All Jobcentre Plus staff have access to information about HIV through guidance on our Intranet.

Industrial Health and Safety: Farms

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps his Department is taking to promote health and safety on farms.

Chris Grayling: The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) actively promotes health and safety on farms through a programme of farming Safety and Health Awareness Days (SHADs) in England, Scotland and Wales. SHADs are half day training events based on practical demonstrations of everyday hazards faced by farmers, farming families and workers. The events target family farmers, the self employed and those employing up to four people.
	Formally, HSE promotes health and safety in the industry through the work of its Agriculture Industry Advisory Committee. This committee provides a mechanism for bringing together and consulting with the industry and for helping to set priorities to promote the attitudinal and cultural changes required if there is to be sustainable improvement in the industry's health and safety performance.
	Additionally over the past 12 to 15 months, HSE has been working in partnership with the key industry stakeholders and among other things, is supporting the Farm Industry Safety Partnerships led by the National Farmers Union (NFU) and the similar group in Wales led by NFU Cymru. These partnerships are actively developing a range of activities and initiatives to promote health and safety through their respective memberships.

Jobseeker’s Allowance

Laura Sandys: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what methodology his Department used to determine the level of jobseekers' allowance.

Chris Grayling: There is no actual formula used to calculate benefit rates, instead benefits such as jobseeker's allowance are made up of main components, the rates of which are fixed by Parliament each April, and are generally uprated annually in line with inflation.

Stationery

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much his Department spent on (a) postage, (b) stationery and (c) telephones in each month since June 2010.

Chris Grayling: Between the period June 2010 to September 2011, my Department has spent £67.4 million on postage and £9.18 million on stationery.
	The monthly breakdown for postage and stationery spend is as follows:
	
		
			 £ million 
			  (a) Postal (b) Stationery 
			 2010   
			 June 4.6 0.96 
			 July 4.2 0.95 
			 August 3.4 0.73 
			 September 4.7 0.68 
			 October 3.7 0.53 
			 November 3.5 0.51 
			 December 5.6 0.48 
			    
			 2011   
			 January 6.0 0.43 
			 February 3.6 0.05 
			 March 5.2 1.51 
			 April 4.8 0.45 
			 May 3.6 0.44 
		
	
	
		
			 June 3.9 0.38 
			 July 3.5 0.34 
			 August 3.4 0.33 
			 September 3.5 0.41 
			 Total 67.2 9.18 
		
	
	For comparison, the expenditure between June 2009 and September 2010 on postage was £75.4 million and on stationery was £21.5 million. The differences in monthly expenditure are because postage and stationery are both demand-led services and products. Theses are used to support business needs and costs fluctuate due to increases/decreases in operational activity, for example, postage increases attributable to winter fuel and cold weather payment notifications during December 2010 and January 2011.
	DWP communicates with our customers via a range of postal services—actual volumes in 2010-11 were approximately 220 million items. Postage services to customer’s home addresses include payment via girocheques, notifications and supporting correspondence for individual entitlements/decisions.
	My Department does not have expenditure on telephones. This equipment is provided under a network services arrangement and the number of discreet telephones is not directly charged for.

Work Capability Assessment

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  how many people in (a) Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside, (c) the North East and (d) the UK received zero points in a work capability assessment and were passed on appeal in the latest period for which figures are available;
	(2)  how many people in (a) Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside, (c) the North East and (d) the UK received between zero and six points in a work capability assessment and were passed on appeal in the latest period for which figures are available.

Chris Grayling: Decisions on entitlement to employment and support allowance (ESA) using the Work Capability Assessment rest solely with the Department's decision makers taking into account the medical assessment reports from Atos and any other relevant information.
	If someone is assessed to be Fit for Work by DWP they are no longer entitled to claim ESA. However, they may ask for a revision and/or they may appeal against the DWP decision.
	Tables 1 to 3 as follows show appeals heard on Fit for Work decisions, where between zero and six points were recorded at the face-to-face assessment. The tables cover ESA claims starting between October 2008 and August 2010 (this is the latest period for which these figures are available).
	Information is unavailable for the Jarrow constituency and data for Great Britain are given in place of data for the United Kingdom as data for Northern Ireland are not available. The figures provided are for initial assessments only and numbers have been rounded to the nearest hundred—as a result, figures may not sum to the totals shown.
	
		
			 Table   1  : Fit for Work appeals in South Tyneside unitary authority 
			  All fit for w  ork Appeals heard (to date) Percentage fit for work with an appeal heard (to date)   (%) Decision in favour of appellant DWP decision upheld Percentage decision in favour of appellant   (%) Percentage DWP decision upheld   (%) 
			 0 points 2,000 800 43 300 500 38 62 
			 1 to 6 points 300 200 54 100 100 44 56 
			 0 to 6 points 2,200 1,000 44 400 600 39 61 
		
	
	
		
			 Table 2: Fit for Work appeals in the north-east 
			  All fit for w  ork Appeals heard (to date) Percentage fit for work with an appeal heard (to date)   (%) Decision in favour of appellant DWP decision upheld Percentage decision in favour of appellant   (%) Percentage DWP decision upheld   (%) 
			 0 points 28,300 13,000 46 4,300 8,700 33 67 
			 1 to 6 points 4,000 2,300 57 1,100 1,200 48 52 
			 0 to 6 points 32,300 15,300 47 5,400 9,900 35 65 
		
	
	
		
			 Table 3: Appeals heard on Fit for Work decisions in Great Britain 
			  All fit for w  ork Appeals heard (to date) Percentage fit for work with an appeal heard (to date) (%) Decision in favour of appellant DWP decision upheld Percentage decision in favour of appellant (%) Percentage DWP decision upheld (%) 
			 0 points 342,900 128,400 37 43,100 85,400 34 66 
			 1 to 6 points 77,700 34,800 45 16,100 18,700 46 54 
			 0 to 6 points 420,500 163,200 39 59,200 104,000 36 64 
			 Notes: 1. The Department regularly publishes official statistics on the employment and support allowance (ESA) Work Capability Assessment at the national level. The latest report, published in October 2011 and can be found here: http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/workingage/index.php?page=esa_wca 2. The data presented above come from benefit claims data held by the Department for Work and Pensions, functional assessment data from Atos Healthcare and appeals data from the Tribunals Service. 3. Data on appeals include ESA claims up to the end of August 2010 (the latest month where we have sufficient volumes of appeals heard to include in the publication) where the person claiming has been assessed to be Fit for Work, they subsequently appeal the Department's decision and the appeal has been heard by Tribunals Service. 4. Due to the time it takes for appeals to be submitted to the Tribunals Service and heard, it is likely that there are more appeals that have not yet been heard. Therefore these figures should be treated as emerging findings rather than final at this stage.

Work Capability Assessment

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in (a) Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside, (c) the north-east and (d) the UK received over six points in a work capability assessment and were successful at appeal in the latest period for which figures are available.

Chris Grayling: Decisions on entitlement to employment and support allowance (ESA) using the work capability assessment rest solely with the Department's decision makers taking into account the medical assessment reports from Atos and any other relevant information.
	If someone is assessed to be fit for work by DWP they are no longer entitled to claim ESA. However, they may ask for a revision and/or they may appeal against the DWP decision.
	The following table show appeals heard on fit for work decisions, where between seven and 14 points were recorded at the face-to-face assessment. People scoring 15 points or more at assessment are typically assessed to be eligible for ESA in the Work Related Activity Group or Support Group. The table covers ESA claims starting between October 2008 and August 2010 (this is the latest period for which these figures are available).
	Information is unavailable for the Jarrow constituency and data for Great Britain are given in place of data for the United Kingdom as data for Northern Ireland are not available. The figures provided are for initial assessments only and numbers have been rounded to the nearest hundred—as a result, figures may not sum to the totals shown.
	
		
			 Fit for work appeals where seven to 14 points was scored at assessment 
			  All fit for work Appeals heard (to date) Percentage of fit for work with an appeal heard (to date) Decision in favour of appellant DWP decision upheld Percentage decision in favour of appellant Percentage DWP decision upheld 
			 South Tyneside 100 100 63 0 0 64 36 
			 North East 1,800 1,100 62 700 400 63 37 
			 Great Britain 32,600 15,900 49 10,100 5,800 63 37 
			 Notes: 1. The Department regularly publishes official statistics on the employment and support allowance (ESA) work capability assessment at the national level. The latest report, published in October 2011 and can be found at: http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/workingage/index.php?page=esa_wca 2. The data presented above come from benefit claims data held by the Department for Work and Pensions, functional assessment data from Atos Healthcare and appeals data from the Tribunals Service. 3. Data on appeals include ESA claims started from October 2008 up to the end of August 2010 (the latest month where we have sufficient volumes of appeals heard to include in the publication) where the person claiming has been assessed to be fit for work, they subsequently appeal the Department's decision and the appeal has been heard by Tribunals Service. 4. Due to the time it takes for appeals to be submitted to the Tribunals Service and heard, it is likely that there are more appeals that have not yet been heard. Therefore these figures should be treated as emerging findings rather than final at this stage.

Apprentices

Nicholas Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  if he will bring forward proposals to amend apprenticeship frameworks to make them more adaptable to business needs, as recommended in the British Chambers of Commerce October 2011 report on skills for business;
	(2)  if he will respond to the findings on apprentices contained in the British Chambers of Commerce report Skills for business: more to learn.

John Hayes: A package of measures to reduce bureaucracy and make it as easy as possible for employers to recruit and employ an apprentice was announced at last week's Apprenticeship summit as well as incentive payments of up to £1,500 for small firms taking on their first young apprentice aged 16 to 24. The measures include speeding up the process of advertising vacancies and streamlining health and safety requirements to remove additional demands on employers that already meet national standards. Many of the recommendations from the BCC report are reflected in these measures.
	Employers can already develop their own frameworks or run apprenticeships in-house as long as they can meet the high standards we expect from apprenticeships. We will be working with partners to explore ways to further reduce bureaucracy within the system and improve employer ownership.

Apprentices

Nicholas Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he is taking to promote (a) high end apprenticeship schemes at NVQ level 4 and above and (b) apprenticeships in the technology, engineering and science sector.

John Hayes: On 22 July the Prime Minister announced a £25 million fund to support the creation of up to 10,000 advanced and higher apprenticeships over the next four years, giving firms in a wide range of sectors including advanced manufacturing, information technology and engineering the hi-tech skills they need to grow. We expect to announce the successful bidders shortly.
	Recognising the importance of the technology, engineering and science sector in stimulating the growth in our economy, and building on the existing work by the National Apprenticeship Service to encourage new apprenticeships in these sectors, we are working very closely with the UK Commission for Employment and Skills, the National Apprenticeship Service, and the relevant Sector Skills Councils on a project to develop a new Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Apprenticeship Growth Plan. This will be published by the end of the year.

Beechwood Equipment

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether he has had discussions concerning the removal of Beechwood Equipment Ltd from the DSEi 2011 fair for marketing leg cuffs and gang chains; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Prisk: Officials in the Export Control Organisation, together with representatives of Her Majesty's (HM) Revenue and Customs and the UK Border Agency, worked, closely with the organisers of Defence and Security Equipment International Exhibition (DSEi) 2011 before, during and after the conference. The organisers became aware during the conference of two alleged breaches of UK trade controls and took action accordingly. The incidents were reported to HM Revenue and Customs and they took appropriate action.

BMI

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether any consideration of competition issues arising from the sale of BMI would be considered by the (a) UK and (b) EU competition authorities.

Edward Davey: The parties will need to consider whether the transaction qualifies under the EU Merger regulation for a mandatory review by the European Commission or whether a filing needs to be made to the Office of Fair Trading. At this stage no filing has been made to the competition authorities, however preliminary discussions are taking place between the Office of Fair Trading, the European Commission and the merging parties.

Business: Trade Fairs

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what information his Department holds on comparative spending by the UK Government and other EU member states on supporting small and medium-sized enterprises' international tradeshow access.

Mark Prisk: It is not possible to provide a detailed comparison of spending as this information is not held centrally and would incur disproportionate cost to provide. However, we know that Germany spends above 40 million Euros per year on supporting international tradeshow access and the UK spends £6 million through UKTI's Tradeshow Access Programme (TAP).

Data Protection

Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the effect of the acquisition of Autonomy by Hewlett-Packard on the privacy and security of UK public and private organisations and their data.

Mark Prisk: holding answer 7 November 2011
	It is inappropriate to comment on this particular case, given the ongoing acquisition negotiations.
	However, Government take the protection of personal data very seriously. There are a number of measures in place to protect UK public and private data held by organisations and these are set out in the Cabinet Office's Security Policy Framework (SPF). Departments are required to seek assurance from third party organisations that they are managing personal data in accordance with these standards.
	The Information Commissioner takes issues of data protection extremely seriously and regulates and enforces the Data Protection Act 1998.

Departmental Consultants

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what procedures his Department uses when engaging external consultants.

Edward Davey: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills utilises a strict internal approval process to ensure that Government policy on use of consultants is adhered to. A business case is submitted with justification for external expertise with appropriate sign off from finance and senior management. Competitive tendering, most commonly against existing framework agreements, is undertaken to ensure value for money and due diligence carried out against the costs to ensure compliance with framework and agreed Government mandates.
	To ensure continued value for money any consultants engaged by core BIS, Executive agencies or non-departmental public bodies who cost above £20,000 require approval every three months by the Consultancy Exemption Board. Subsequently if a consultancy is expected to last longer than nine months there is an additional requirement to obtain Cabinet Office approval prior to signing the contract.

Departmental Design

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what contracts his Department has awarded for design services since May 2010; and what information his Department holds on the location of such companies.

Edward Davey: The Department has only one accounting code within its central finance system addressing “design”. This code descriptor is for “Media and Design Services”.
	Central records indicate that the Department has spent £12,686,618 on such services since May 2010.
	It is not possible within cost thresholds to differentiate between payments for “Media” and “Design” services.
	Payment addresses for suppliers of Media and Design services since May 2010 are contained within the central finance system. I will be placing the relevant extract from the finance system in the Libraries of the House.
	Further information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Judicial Review

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what applications for judicial review have been made against his Department (a) in the last Parliament and (b) since May 2010; whether each such application (i) succeeded, (ii) failed and (iii) remains pending; what legal costs were incurred by his Department for each such application; in each failed application whether he applied for costs against the applicant and whether they were (A) awarded and (B) paid; whether his Department (1) paid for and (2) offered to pay for the legal costs incurred by each such applicant; and what the total cost to the public purse was of payment of the legal costs for each such applicant.

Edward Davey: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills was set up in June 2009.
	16 new cases were opened in the last Parliament (June 2009 to April 2010) and 19 opened since May 2010. 13 of these cases have been closed.
	The Department engages the Treasury Solicitor's Department to conduct all its judicial review litigation. The Treasury Solicitor's Department charges for this. The following table sets out the charges made by the Treasury Solicitor's Department to BIS for the financial year 2009-10 and from May 2010 to date.
	
		
			 Judicial reviews Total fees, charges and Disb (£) 
			 June 2009 to April 2010 199,546 
			 May 2010 to date 297,261 
		
	
	They include both fees charged by the Treasury Solicitor's Department and disbursements, which included counsel's fees. They relate only to judicial reviews in which BIS was involved.
	Details relating whether applications have been successful, failed, remain pending, costs and awards could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Pay

Stephen Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many civil servants in his Department received a bonus in each year since 2007.

Edward Davey: The Department for Business Innovation and Skills (BIS) was formed through a Machinery of Government change that occurred in June 2009. The Department was created by merging the Department for Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR) and the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS).
	The following information has been drawn from various data sources and provides details for both of the former Departments that were merged to create BIS. We do not hold information prior to 2008 due to the merger as detailed above.
	
		
			 Financial year Number of bonuses 
			 2008/09 3,039 
			 2009/10 2,030 
			 2010/11 950 
			 2011/12 (1)720 
			 (1) This is not the final figure, some awards are outstanding.

Departmental Secondment

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 8 November 2011, Official Report, columns 301-2W, on departmental secondment, what steps he has taken to ensure that industry plays a more active role in the business and policy-making of his Department; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Prisk: holding answer 14 November 2011
	As the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, Ministers and officials have frequent contact and discussions with business on a range of issues.
	We have expanded and strengthened industry specific fora, to actively pursue growth and remove barriers which are restricting enterprise.

Employment: Environment Protection

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what support the Government provides to companies in the low-carbon and environmental goods and services sector to help them export overseas; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Prisk: UK Trade and Investment helps companies with low carbon technologies and environmental goods exports through its core services for businesses, such as trade missions, trade shows and exhibitions both overseas and in the UK.
	In addition, the green export campaign positions the UK as a leading provider of low carbon solutions in markets where there are strong, clear commercial opportunities. The campaign promotes the UK’s low carbon capabilities to international buyers and investors.
	UKTI work closely with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s overseas network to promote green growth including identifying new opportunities for UK businesses stemming from international agreements and overseas Government’s policies in carbon reduction.

Employment: India

George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what discussions he has had with the Indian government on the employment of foreign nationals in the UK on terms and conditions that differ from those applied to UK workers.

Edward Davey: The Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, my right hon. Friend the Member for Twickenham (Vince Cable), has met with relevant Ministers in the Indian Government in June, September and October 2010 and June 2011. A variety of matters were discussed, including immigration policy.

EU Grants and Loans

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he will take to ensure that areas which fall within a Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics 2 (County) Region for funding purposes under the draft EU regulations relating to 2014 to 2020 EU Structural Fund, and which have a lower gross domestic product than the rest of the Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics 2 region will not be disadvantaged in funding terms as a result of the banding system used.

Mark Prisk: Although the allocation system is designed around the nomenclature for territorial units for statistics (NUTS 2) classification, the Government will seek to ensure the UK programme reflects the needs of individual areas within it. The Government are currently considering the approach they will take to the funding in the 2014 to 2020 round.

EU Grants and Loans

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what response the Government intends to make to the draft EU regulations relating to 2014-2020 EU structural fund.

Mark Prisk: The UK supports the aim of cohesion policy in reducing disparities in development between the different regions of the EU, so that every part of the EU is able to develop to its full potential. The Government are currently considering the detail of the Commission's draft regulations for the 2014-20 structural funds and the implications for the UK, much of which is still to be clarified by the Commission. However, the Government has already published its position in relation to the Commission's Fifth Cohesion Report earlier this year, which set out some of the principles underpinning the draft regulations.

EU Grants and Loans

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will make representations to the European Commission in relation to the draft EU regulations relating to 2014-2020 EU Structural Fund, to ensure that significant funding is provided to support rural environments as well as urban development.

Mark Prisk: The Commission's draft regulations propose that at least 5% of the European Regional Development Fund should be allocated to the use of integrated territorial investments in urban areas. The Commission has yet to publish full details of its methodology for allocating funds but it is likely the bulk of the funding will continue to be allocated using objective criteria such as GDP.

EU Grants and Loans: Torbay

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether the exception applying to regions with less than 75 per cent. of EU gross domestic product under the draft EU regulations relating to 2014-2020 EU Structural Fund will be applied to Torbay requiring it to allocate 60 per cent. instead of 80 per cent. of its funding to the thematic objectives laid down by the regulations.

Edward Davey: Torbay falls within the Devon NUTS 2 region. The most recent Eurostat GDP figures for the Devon NUTS II region show its GDP per capita as 89.6% of the EU average for the period 2006-08. As such, under the Commission's draft regulations, it would currently be classified as a transition region. The Commission's draft regulations would require at least 80% of the European Regional Development Fund for transition regions nationally to be allocated to three thematic objectives, and at least 70% of European Social Fund for transition regions nationally to be allocated to four investment priorities. It is too early to determine how funding will be allocated between regions. It should also be noted that the final regulations are likely to be based on more recent GDP data for regions across Europe, which are not yet available through Eurostat.

European Union

Douglas Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many Ministerial-level meetings have been held in his Department during the Government's examination of the balance of existing European Union competences.

Edward Davey: The Department routinely hosts ministerial meetings on issues covered in the coalition agreement.

Export Controls: Arms Trade

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent steps he has taken to implement Council Regulation (EC) No 1236/2005 concerning trade in certain goods which could be used for capital punishment or torture; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Prisk: Council Regulation (EC) No. 1236/2005 has direct effect in the UK and is binding in its entirety. The only implementing measures necessary were to provide for offences and penalties for breaches of the provisions relating to technical assistance. These measures were implemented at the time the regulation came into force on 30 July 2006.

Export Controls: Arms Trade

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will take steps to develop a control mechanism to be incorporated into Council Regulation (EC) No 1236/2005 concerning trade in certain goods which could be used for capital punishment or torture to allow governments to prohibit the trade of any items not specifically listed in the Regulation that have no use other than for the purposes of inflicting the death penalty, torture or other ill-treatment, or where there are reasonable grounds to believe that such items would be used for such purposes; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Prisk: The Government do support this idea in principle and have invited the European Commission to work on a proposal. This would require an amendment to Council Regulation (EC) No. 1236/2005, and therefore require a proposal from the Commission, which would then need to be approved by the Council and European Parliament. The Commission has indicated that they will begin discussions on possible amendments to the regulation in 2012.

Green Investment Bank

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  whether the Green investment bank will have a function to invest in measures to improve air quality; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  whether the Green investment bank will have a role to invest in measures to protect and restore biodiversity; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  whether the Green investment bank will have a role to invest in measures to improve air quality; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Prisk: The UK Government are committed to setting the UK firmly on the transition to a green and growing economy and the Green investment bank will become a key component of this progression, complementing other green policies to help accelerate additional capital. Our intention is for the bank to be given a broad remit, with Ministers and the board agreeing priority sectors periodically and the bank making individual investment decisions against a double bottom line of green impact and financial return.

Higher Education: Admissions

Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many applicants to each higher education institution held an access to higher education qualification in each of the last 10 years.

David Willetts: The latest available information is given in the table. The identification of Access to Higher Education qualifications on the UCAS application system was improved from 2009 onwards. Earlier years are not comparable and have not been reported. Final end of year data for 2011 has not yet been released. Due to low cell counts for individual institutions, data has been aggregated up to the country of institution where the applicant applied.
	
		
			 Applicants holding access to higher education qualifications by institution country applied to  (1) 
			  Year of entry  (2) 
			 Institution country applied to: 2009 2010 
			 England 17,699 26,974 
			 Northern Ireland 349 383 
			 Scotland 424 643 
			 Wales 1,609 2,507 
			 (1) Each applicant can submit up to five applications (or tour If they apply to medical, dentistry or veterinary courses). In this table, applicants have been counted once for each country they applied to. (2) Includes applicants who applied in each of these years for deferred entry in the following year.

Higher Education: Admissions

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many UCAS applications have been submitted by residents of (a) Leicester South constituency, (b) the City of Leicester, (c) Leicestershire and (d) the East Midlands in the 2011-12 admissions cycle to date; and how many such applications had been submitted on the same date in the 2010-11 admissions cycle.

David Willetts: holding answer 15 November 2011
	The latest information is in the following tables and has been provided by the Universities and Colleges Admission Service (UCAS).
	UCAS have stated that year-on-year changes for all courses at this early stage in the cycle are often different from the position later in the cycle, and that it is too early in the cycle to extrapolate applicant volumes forward. The second table includes only those applicants who applied to courses with a deadline of 15 October. The main deadline for the majority of UCAS courses is 15 January.
	
		
			 All applicants to UCAS as at 15 October by parliamentary constituency/region 
			  Application cycle 
			 Area of domicile  2010-11  (1) 2011-12  (2) 
			 Leicester South constituency 116 110 
			 The City of Leicester 323 304 
			 Leicestershire 1,121 940 
			 East Midlands 4,109 3,286 
			 (1) Applicants applying to enter courses starting in autumn 2011, including those who applied for deferred entry in 2012. (2) Applicants applying to enter courses starting in autumn 2012, including those who applied for deferred entry in 2013. 
		
	
	
		
			 Applicants to courses with a 15 October deadline(1 )  by parliamentary constituency/region 
			  Application cycle 
			 Area of domicile 2010-11  (2) 2011-12  (3) 
			 Leicester South constituency 75 84 
			 The City of Leicester 216 226 
			 Leicestershire 709 659 
			 East Midlands 2,289  
			 (1 )These cover medical, dentistry and veterinary science courses, and courses at Oxbridge. (2 )Applicants applying to enter courses stating in autumn 2011, including those who applied for deferred entry in 2012. (3 )Applicants applying to enter courses starting in autumn 2012, including those who applied for deferred entry in 2013.

Higher Education: Admissions

Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many applicants accepted to each higher education institution held an access to higher education qualification in each of the last 10 years.

David Willetts: The latest available information is given in the table. The identification of Access to Higher Education qualifications on the UCAS application system was improved from 2009 onwards. Earlier years are not comparable and have not been reported. Final end of year data for 2011 has not yet been released. Due to low cell counts for individual institutions, data has been aggregated up to the country of institution where the applicant was accepted.
	
		
			 Accepted applicants holding Access to Higher Education qualifications by institution country 
			 Institution country Year of entry  (1) 
			  2009 2010 
			 England 12,680 18,389 
			 Northern Ireland 194 154 
			 Scotland 72 80 
			 Wales 735 961 
			 (1) Includes applicants who applied in each of these years for deferred entry in the following year.

Overseas Trade: South America

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he is taking to increase bilateral trade with (a) Chile, (b) Peru, (c) Uruguay, (d) Paraguay and (e) Bolivia; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Prisk: The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, the right hon. Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague)’s 2010 Canning Lecture confirmed the UK Government's plan to look again at Latin America in terms of political cooperation and trade and investment.
	UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) supports British companies by identifying opportunities, potential clients and partners in the market. Visits and business events are arranged to promote specific opportunities and raise the profile of UK companies. Over the last year, UKTI have helped companies in a wide range of sectors in Chile and Peru, including education, financial services, mining, energy, defence and security.
	UKTI targets its overseas network, to ensure that resources are deployed in those markets where there is demand. A number of diplomatic positions have been created in Latin America to focus on the Government's prosperity and commercial diplomacy agenda.
	UKTI does not have a presence in Bolivia, Uruguay and Paraguay. However, high-level support from our ambassadors in those countries is available, particularly in respect of contract negotiations or market access issues.

Public Sector

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  what steps he is taking to put in place a right to provide for public sector workers to take over the running of services; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what steps his Department has taken to encourage the development of public service mutuals in its area of responsibility; and if he will make a statement.

Edward Davey: The Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General, the right hon. Member for Horsham (Mr Maude), announced in November 2010 that every Department will put in place Rights to Provide to take over the running of services. The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS), is working with Cabinet Office to consider whether areas of central Government work, and other work areas for which BIS has responsibility, are appropriate for developing public sector mutuals.
	Within BIS work is being carried out on:
	Post Office mutualisation:
	The Government believe Post Office Ltd could be ideally suited to a mutual model, with those that know it best working together, with a greater say in how the business is run, as well as a stake in its success.
	A public consultation, “Building a Mutual Post Office”, was launched on 19 September and sets out options to move the Post Office from Government ownership to a mutual model.
	It proposes mixed membership to give sub-postmasters, employees, post office customers and local communities a direct role in setting the strategic direction of the business. The Postal Services Act 2011 requires any mutualised Post Office Ltd to act for the public benefit.
	Converting Post Office Ltd—the national company that sets the strategy for the post office network and operates some of the larger, 'Crown' branches—to a mutual would not affect the ownership of the thousands of privately-owned post office branches up and down the country.
	Subject to consultation, the Government believe that the Post Office could be on a clear path to mutualisation by the end of this Parliament.
	Further education:
	Forms of mutualisation are part of the wide range of delivery models that further education colleges, as independent providers of publicly-funded further education services, can consider when determining how best to meet the needs of their local communities. A number of colleges are considering mutualisation approaches and this Department is following their progress with interest.

Regional Growth Fund

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  what the cost was of due diligence associated with each of the recipients of the first round of Regional Growth fund awards; and what proportion such costs represented of the respective amount of the award;
	(2)  whether recipients of Regional Growth Fund awards are liable for due diligence costs associated with respective projects.

Mark Prisk: holding answer 14 November 2011
	It is for successful bidders to pay the cost of due diligence.

Regional Growth Fund

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills when completion of due diligence by recipients of the first round of Regional Growth Fund awards will be completed where it has not yet been completed; what funds have been received by recipients of such awards; and when recipients will receive any outstanding monies.

Mark Prisk: holding answer 15 November 2011
	Time scales for due diligence are driven by the individual commercial considerations of the beneficiaries, it is not possible to give a date for completion.
	Instalments of Regional Growth Fund funding are normally transferred to beneficiaries within 30 days of receiving a valid claim. There are no beneficiaries with a claim for funding outstanding at this time.

Science: Higher Education

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he is taking to encourage universities to offer more science, technology, engineering and mathematics qualifications in higher education.

David Willetts: holding answer 7 November 2011
	Following the publication of its Higher Education White Paper in June, Ministers wrote to Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) instructing the Council that meeting the additional costs of high cost subjects remains a priority for teaching funding for 2012/13. Ministers asked HEFCE to consult, over the summer, on how this might best be achieved and will issue final instructions in the grant letter, due around the turn of the year. Ministers also asked HEFCE to consult, in winter, on the longer term approach to allocating teaching funding, for 2013/14 and beyond, and, in particular, on how to ensure that this funding continues to support a healthy mix of subjects (including science, technology, engineering and mathematics).
	The Government also understand that, science, technology, engineering and maths skills are vital to businesses, health and research, and wants to ensure that students are more aware of the value of undertaking these courses at HE institutions. The Higher Education White Paper also outlined a strategy for improving the information published by HE institutions which have been asked to do more to explain the benefits of studying different subjects so that potential students can make informed choices about what to study.

Students: Finance

John Glen: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many cases of non-payment of tuition fee loans by EU students are being pursued by Student Finance England.

David Willetts: holding answer 8 November 2011
	The figures are available at table 1 (iii) within the Official Statistics for the tax year 2000-01 to 2009-10 inclusive which is accessible at:
	http://www.slc.co.uk/pdf/SLCOSP022011.pdf
	The Student Loan Company (SLC) has established repayment arrangements for former students who move abroad, whether temporarily or permanently. In such cases the SLC requests evidence of earnings and gives the borrower a monthly repayment schedule under the terms of the contract of the loan.
	If any borrowers are due to repay and are not doing so, the SLC will not write-off loans but will continue to recover arrears and outstanding balances until they expire. SLC use tracing agents to locate borrowers and will pursue any such borrowers through the courts, if necessary.
	EC Regulation 44/2001 enables the SLC to obtain judgments in UK courts, which can be enforced by courts in other EU countries. These judgments can be enforced against any borrower who has moved to another EU member state, regardless of nationality.
	SLC is currently in the process of raising court action against a number of overseas residents. The actual number who will be taken to court is not yet known, because raising such action often leads to borrowers contacting the SLC to arrange repayment.

TICC Skillcentres: Redundancy

Clive Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many employees were made redundant when the TICC skills training centres went into liquidation; and how many of such employees received ex-gratia payments from the public purse.

Edward Davey: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 29 October 2008, Official Report , column 1077W; 16 October 2008, Official Report, column 1428W; and 6 October 2008, Official Report, column 292W.

UK Trade and Investment: Expenditure

Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much UK Trade and Investment was spent in (a) the EU and (b) each other European country in the last year for which figures are available.

Mark Prisk: holding answer 14 November 2011
	The full economic cost of UKTI operations in 2010/11 was:
	(a) £49.5 million in the EU; and
	(b) £14.1 million in wider Europe, comprised of:
	
		
			  £ million 
			 Russia 4.3 
			 Turkey 2.7 
			 Switzerland 2.2 
			 Norway 1.8 
			 Kazakhstan 0.8 
			 Croatia 0.5 
			 Serbia and Montenegro(1) 0.5 
			 Ukraine 0.5 
			 Azerbaijan 0.4 
			 Iceland 0.3 
			 Bosnia and Herzegovina 0.2 
			  14.1 
			 (1) Separate figures unavailable

UK Trade and Investment: Finance

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what funding the Government plans to provide to UK Trade and Investment to promote the UK's low-carbon and environmental goods and services sector in each year to 2014-15.

Mark Prisk: It is not possible to provide details of UK Trade and Investment funding in future years as these budgets have yet to be finalised.

UK Trade and Investment: Finance

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much the Government has provided to UK Trade and Investment to promote the UK's low carbon and environmental goods and services sector in each year since 2000.

Mark Prisk: UK Trade and Investment promotes UK low carbon and environmental goods and services across all sectors of the economy through its overseas posts, sectors group and regional networks. Given the breadth of activity across sectors and teams within UKTI it is not possible to dissociate the exact funding provided to deliver these services.

Departmental Equality

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what recent steps his Department has taken to increase equality in his Department; and what the cost was of any such steps.

Crispin Blunt: As a Department, MoJ is working to embed equality and diversity as a normal part of everyday business. As an employer the MoJ is committed to ensuring that our policies are fair and accessible to all, and as a provider of services, that this is done so in a way that meets the aims of the Public Sector Equality Duty (Equality Act, 2010).
	Recent initiatives have included: the launch of a Reasonable Adjustment Support Service to help ensure disabled staff are effectively supported and able to contribute fully in delivering the business of the Department; in-house development of e-learning to support staff in challenging discrimination; Prison Service and Agency Instructions on ensuring equality of treatment for staff in NOMS HQ and public sector prison establishments; new guidance to ensure staff performance management is effective and fair; and work to better understand the demographic make up of our staff and any specific needs that will help us ensure they are fully engaged and performing at their best. This work has been undertaken as part of normal business as usual activity and is not costed separately.

Departmental Judicial Review

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what applications for judicial review have been made against his Department (a) in the last Parliament and (b) since May 2010; whether each such application (i) succeeded, (ii) failed and (iii) remains pending; what legal costs were incurred by his Department for each such application; in each failed application whether he applied for costs against the applicant and whether they were (A) awarded and (B) paid; whether his Department (1) paid for and (2) offered to pay for the legal costs incurred by each such applicant; and what the total cost to the public purse was of payment of the legal costs for each such applicant.

Jonathan Djanogly: The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) was created in June 2007 when some functions of the Home Office (probation, prisons and prevention of reoffending) were combined with those of the Department of Constitutional Affairs (DCA). We have therefore provided data for the MoJ, and the DCA and the relevant functions of the Home Office transferred to the MoJ prior to its creation.
	The information provided only covers those judicial review applications where Treasury Solicitor (TSol) represented the Department. It does not include those matters that are dealt with directly by individual courts or tribunals, or those few in which TSol were not instructed. This information is not recorded centrally or in a manner that is easily retrievable and the cost of collating it would be disproportionate.
	The following data from 2007 include MoJ Corporate and Headquarters, National Offender Management Services, HM Prison Service, Legal Services Complaints Commissioner, National Probation Service, Special Educational Needs Tribunal, Youth Justice Board and HMCTS when TSol have acted. Some included in the data commenced before the creation of MoJ but were carried across to the new Department as ongoing matters. For consistency those case data have been mapped across as appropriate.
	An assumption has been made that the last parliamentary period began in May 2005 and ended in April 2010, a precise breakdown of information requested for the actual parliamentary dates would require more a detailed examination of the files which would incur disproportionate costs.
	The number of judicial review applications against the MoJ and the areas of the Departments that were moved across to it opened by TSol in the applicable time periods are:
	For the period May 2005 to April 2010: 2,316 judicial review case files were opened.
	Since the creation of MoJ in May 2007 to April 2010: 1,675 judicial review case files were opened.
	Since May 2010: 1,054 judicial review case files have been opened.
	The outcome of judicial review applications are not recorded centrally and can not be provided without searching through each file individually which would incur disproportionate costs.
	As of 15 November 2011 TSol had 874 open files relating to applications for judicial review against the Department. It should be noted that there is no correlation between this figure and the number of opened cases in any period.
	Information on the legal costs of each application is not kept centrally or in a manner that can be easily broken down without searching through each file individually which would incur disproportionate costs.
	The total costs for the cases on file with TSol include VAT, TSol fees, charges and disbursements but do not include costs of other parties or any damages paid. This information is not recorded centrally or in a manner that can be easily collated without incurring disproportionate costs.
	Costs on the 2,316 cases opened between May 2005 and April 2010 are £11,778,598.
	Since the creation of MoJ in May 2007, costs on the 1,675 cases opened to April 2010 are £7,753,116.
	Since May 2010 costs for the 1,054 cases opened are £3,261,433.

Departmental Manpower

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many (a) full-time and (b) part-time employees his Department had in each year since 1997.

Kenneth Clarke: Since 1997 there has been a significant number of machinery of government changes, which resulted in the establishment of the Ministry of Justice in May 2007. These changes included the establishment of the Department of Constitutional Affairs from the Lord Chancellors Department in June 2003; the creation of Her Majesty's Courts Service from the Magistrates Courts Service and the Court Service in April 2005; and, the setting up of the Tribunals Service from other Government Departments in April 2006; the establishment of the HM Courts and Tribunal Service in April 2011.
	Along with the organisational changes, the management information systems and the data they hold have been subject to significant change. As a consequence, any information on numbers of staff in all the Department's predecessors for 1997 onwards can be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
	However, it is possible to provide recently published information on Civil Servants for the Ministry from the Office of National Statistics (ONS) website. The following links provide workforce statistics and profiles (including working patterns) for the Ministry and other Government Departments:
	For March 2007 (table 12):
	http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/pse/civil-service-statistics/2007/civil-service-statistics.xls
	For March 2008 (table 35):
	http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/pse/civil-service-statistics/2008/civil-service-statistics.xls
	For March 2009 (table 42):
	http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/pse/civil-service-statistics/2009/civil-service-statistics.xls
	For March 2010:
	http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/pse/civil-service-statistics/2010-results/civil-service-statistics-2010-data-summary-tool.xls
	For March 2011:
	http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/publications/re-reference-tables.html?edition=tcm%3A77-229310

Disability Living Allowance: Appeals

Anne McGuire: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  what the average waiting time was between submission of an appeal against a decision on the award of disability living allowance and the date of the appeal hearing in each local authority area or at the lowest available recording level;
	(2)  how many people are awaiting a tribunal hearing after having been refused disability living allowance in each local authority area or at the lowest available recording area for the most recent period for which figures are available;
	(3)  how many people appealing against the withdrawal of disability living allowance have had the date of their appeal hearing brought forward on grounds of hardship in each local authority area or at the lowest available recording area for the most recent period for which figures are available.

Jonathan Djanogly: Data for the Social Security and Child Support (SSCS) tribunal cannot be provided by local authority area. All appeals to the tribunal are registered in the processing centre in the region where the appellant lives, and data can be broken down to the level of these processing centres.
	The following table shows the average time from receipt at HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) to hearing for disability living allowance (DLA) appeals for the area served by each processing centre. The information covers 1 April 2011 to 30 September 2011, the latest period for which figures are available.
	
		
			 Disability living allowance appeals average waiting time by processing centre 
			 Processing centre September 2011  —Y  ear to date (week  s  ) 
			 Birmingham (Central and Eastern England) 29.62 
			 Cardiff (Wales and SW England) 21.02 
			 Glasgow (Scotland) 22.53 
			 Leeds (NE England—North and West Yorkshire) 25.98 
			 Newcastle (NE England) 28.89 
			 Liverpool (NW England) 28.26 
			 Sutton (London and SE England) 22.39 
			 All 25.59 
		
	
	Claimants can appeal to the tribunal on a number of different grounds, such as the rate of benefit awarded or refusal of benefit. The tribunal does not record the issue under appeal and, therefore, cannot isolate data relating to appeals on the basis of having been refused DLA. The total number of “live” DLA appeals (appeals at various stages of the process before hearing or decision) at 30 September 2011, the most recent period for which statistics have been published, was 42,600, down from 44,500 at the end of June 2011.
	A regional breakdown of this data has not previously been published. As the management information system for SSCS is a live system which is continuously updated, it is not possible to provide retrospective data on the number of live cases by region which would be consistent with the official published statistics. I will, therefore, arrange for the numbers of live appeals in each area at end December to be provided to you when this data is published as official statistics in March 2012.
	The tribunal does not record the number of appeals rescheduled for an earlier hearing. Information on the number of people appealing against the withdrawal of disability living allowance that have had the date of their appeal hearing brought forward on grounds of hardship is, therefore, unavailable.

Drugs

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many members of his Department have been disciplined due to drug offences in the last 12 months;
	(2)  what his Department's policy is on mandatory drug testing of its employees.

Kenneth Clarke: Two employees in my Department were dismissed as a result of disciplinary action for drug offences in the 12 months ending 31 October 2011. Both of these were for bringing a controlled substance onto departmental premises.
	My Department does not have a mandatory drugs testing policy for employees. However, it does have employee policies on drugs and alcohol. All employees are expected to report fit for work, and any indication that an employee had reported for work in an unfit state through drug abuse would be investigated. Being unfit for duty through drink or drug abuse is a breach of the required standards of conduct.
	Drugs-related offences are regarded particularly seriously in disciplinary terms. Conviction of a criminal offence—or receipt of a police caution—for a drugs-related offence is considered gross misconduct. Drugs-related offences may result in dismissal even if the individual does not receive a custodial sentence.

Harassment: Convictions

Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people prosecuted under section 2 of the Protection from Harassment Act 1997 were convicted; and how many received a (a) custodial sentence, (b) fine and (c) non-custodial sentence in (i) 2006-07, (ii) 2007-08 and (iii) 2008-09.

Crispin Blunt: The number of persons proceeded against at magistrates courts, found guilty and sentenced at all courts, by result, under section 2 of the Protection from Harassment Act and section 32 of the Crime Disorder Act 1998, in England and Wales for the financial years 2006-07, 2007-08 and 2008-09 can be viewed in the following table.
	Under section 32 of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 a person is guilty of an offence of racially or religiously aggravated harassment if they commit an offence under section 2 of the Protection from Harassment Act 1997 which is racially or religiously aggravated (as defined in section 28 of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998).
	
		
			 Number of persons proceeded against at magistrates courts, found guilty and sentenced at all courts, by result, under section 2 of the Protection from Harassment Act, and section 32 of the Crime Disorder Act 1998, England and Wales, 2006-09  (1, 2) 
			 Statute/offence description 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09  (3) 
			 Section 2 Protection from Harassment Act 1997    
			 Offence of harassment    
			 Proceeded against 5,006 4,940 4,865 
			 Found guilty 3,543 3,650 3,892 
			 Sentenced(4) 3,566 3,671 3,893 
			 Of which:    
			 Fine 367 410 553 
			 Immediate custody 387 394 462 
			 Community sentence 1,299 1,390 1,648 
			 Suspended sentence 268 261 335 
			 Other sentences(5) 1,245 1,216 895 
			     
			 Crime and Disorder Act 1998, S.32    
			 Racially aggravated offence of harassment    
			 Religiously aggravated offence of harassment    
			 Racially or religiously aggravated offence of harassment    
		
	
	
		
			 Proceeded against 191 186 239 
			 Found guilty 125 126 144 
			 Sentenced(4) 127 128 145 
			 Of which:    
			 Fine 17 21 16 
			 Immediate custody 10 15 23 
			 Community sentence 57 49 62 
			 Suspended sentence 12 18 22 
			 Other sentences(5) 31 25 22 
			 (1) The figures given in the table on court proceedings relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences, it is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. (2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. (3) Excludes data for Cardiff magistrates court for April, July and August 2008. (4) The sentenced column may exceed those found guilty as it may be the case that a defendant found guilty, and committed for sentence at the Crown court, may be sentenced in the following year. (5) Other sentences includes: absolute discharge, conditional discharge, and otherwise dealt with. Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services: Ministry of Justice.

Lockerbie: Bombings

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  what recent discussions he has had with his (a) Scottish and (b) Libyan counterpart regarding the status of Abdelbaset al-Megrahi;
	(2)  how many (a) letters and (b) emails his Department has received on Abdelbaset al-Megrahi.

Kenneth Clarke: The release of Abdelbaset al-Megrahi on compassionate grounds was a matter for Scottish Ministers. I have had no discussions with either my Scottish or Libyan counterparts regarding his status.
	My Department was recently a copy recipient of one letter regarding the status of Mr al-Megrahi. No e-mails have been received.

Prisoner Escapes

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many prisoners have escaped from custody in each month for the last five years; and how many such prisoners escaped while being transferred between prisons;
	(2)  how many escaped prisoners have been returned to custody in each month of the last five years.

Crispin Blunt: The number of escapes has been falling since 1995 when central records began. Table 1 shows the number of KPI(1) escapes, by month over the last five financial years from (a) prison establishment, (b) prison escort(2), and (c) contractor escort(3) (which includes escapes from court(4)). None of the escapes from escort occurred while transferring prisoners between prisons.
	(1) A KPI escape is one where a prisoner is at liberty for 15 minutes or more before recapture, or an offence is committed during an escape lasting less than 15 minutes.
	(2) A prison escort is an escort performed by prison staff, often to hospitals.
	(3) A contractor escort is one undertaken on behalf of NOMS by a contractor to a court, originating from either a police station or a prison, or transferring prisoners between prisons.
	(4) Escapes from contractor escorts include escapes from court; the majority of contractor escapes are from insecure docks rather than escort vehicles.
	Table 2 shows the number of prisoners recaptured per month having escaped from establishment or prison escort. Historically recapture details of prisoners escaping from contractor escorts are not held centrally in an easily retrievable format and details could be provided only at disproportionate cost. Following the establishment of new escort contracts and procedures in August this year prisoners recaptured following an escort escape are now recorded in an easily retrievable format.
	
		
			 Table 1: KPI escapes, by month and escape type, from April 2006 to March 2011 
			  Prison establishment Prison escort Contractor escort 
			 June 2006 1 0 2 
			 July 2006 0 1 2 
			 August 2006 0 1 1 
			 September 2006 1 1 3 
			 October 2006 0 1 1 
			 November 2006 0 1 2 
			 December 2006 0 0 2 
			 January 2007 0 1 1 
			 February 2007 0 0 3 
			 March 2007 0 0 2 
			 April 2007 0 0 2 
			 May 2007 0 0 1 
			 June 2007 0 0 1 
			 August 2007 1 0 3 
			 September 2007 2 0 1 
			 October 2007 0 1 2 
			 November 2007 0 0 2 
			 December 2007 0 0 1 
			 January 2008 0 1 2 
			 March 2008 1 0 1 
			 April 2008 0 0 3 
			 May 2008 0 1 1 
			 June 2008 0 0 1 
			 October 2008 0 1 2 
			 November 2008 0 1 1 
			 December 2008 0 0 3 
			 January 2009 0 1 1 
			 February 2009 0 0 1 
		
	
	
		
			 March 2009 1 0 2 
			 April 2009 0 1 0 
			 May 2009 1 0 1 
			 July 2009 1 0 1 
			 September 2009 0 0 2 
			 October 2009 0 0 3 
			 November 2009 0 0 1 
			 December 2009 0 1 0 
			 January 2010 0 0 0 
			 February 2010 0 0 3 
			 March 2010 0 1 1 
			 May 2010 0 1 2 
			 June 2010 1 0 1 
			 July 2010 0 0 2 
			 August 2010 0 0 2 
			 December 2010 0 0 1 
			 January 2011 0 0 1 
			 March 2011 0 0 1 
			 Total 10 16 72 
			 Note: Months when there are zero escapes in all three categories are not shown. 
		
	
	
		
			 Table 2: Number of prisoners recaptured following KPI escape from (a) prison establishment or (b) prison escort (but not contractor escort), by month of recapture from April 2006 to March 2011 
			  Number of prisoners recaptured 
			 August 2006 3 
			 November 2006 2 
			 December 2006 1 
			 January 2007 1 
			 February 2007 1 
			 March 2007 1 
			 September 2007 1 
			 October 2007 2 
			 January 2008 2 
			 August 2008 1 
			 October 2008 1 
			 November 2008 1 
			 January 2009 3 
			 April 2009 1 
			 May 2009 1 
			 July 2009 1 
			 March 2010 1 
			 May 2010 1 
			 June 2010 1 
			 December 2010 1 
			 Total 27 
			 Notes: 1. The table provides details of month of recapture and will not necessarily correlate to the month of escape for incidents shown in table 1. 2. Recaptured prisoners are shown only for escapes from prison establishment or prison escort. Details of those prisoners recaptured following escapes from contractor escort could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. 3. Months when there are no recaptures are not shown.

Sexual Offences: Victim Support Schemes

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the total value was of grants awarded by his Department through the Victims Fund to local sexual assault services in financial year (a) 2010-11 and (b) 2011-12.

Crispin Blunt: In 2010-11, the Combined Victims Fund, jointly funded by the Ministry of Justice and the Government Equalities Office, provided grants totalling £2.25 million to 52 voluntary sector-organisations providing support for victims of sexual violence and abuse.
	In 2011-12, we have committed £5.099 million in total to supporting victims of sexual violence through two funds:
	The Rape Support Fund is providing £2.8 million to 65 existing rape support centres across England and Wales and £600,000 to develop four new rape support centres in Hereford, Trafford, Devon and Dorset.
	The Victim and Witness General Fund is providing £1.699 million in grant funding this year to 34 voluntary sector organisations supporting victims of sexual violence in England and Wales.

G8: Borrowing

David Blunkett: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what information his Department holds on the proportion of GDP required to cover the necessary contribution of government borrowing in each G8 country.

Chloe Smith: The International Monetary Fund publishes information on the General Government Balance for a range of countries including the G8 countries in their Fiscal Monitor publication. The latest Fiscal Monitor, which was published in September 2011, can be found here:
	http://www.imf.org/external/ubs/ft/fm/2011/02/pdf/fm1102.pdf

Inflation

Chris Evans: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the potential effects on consumer confidence of the recent rise in inflation.

Chloe Smith: Consumer Price Inflation was 5% in October, reflecting increases in energy and commodity prices. The Bank of England and external forecasters expect inflation to decline over the next 12 months. Lower inflation should support consumer confidence going forward.

Money Advice Service

Christopher Leslie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to ensure that the Money Advice Service fulfils a strategic oversight role for additional financial education; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Hoban: holding answer 15 November 2011
	As an independent body with a statutory function set out in the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000, it is for the Money Advice Service to determine how it delivers this function.
	The service is undertaking a two-part research project. First to consolidate its understanding of existing evidence on the impact of educational practice within financial education, and similar interventions that seek to influence behaviour; and, second, to map the wide range of initiatives that are currently funded by the financial services industry. It expects to have completed this landscaping work by the end of June 2012. The service will then, on the basis of these, findings, determine how best it may fulfil its overview role in this area.

NHS Trusts: Redundancy Pay

Peter Bottomley: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which (a) foundation and (b) non-foundation NHS trusts have had approval from his Department for employee pay-offs in each of the last five years; which such NHS trusts had the (i) largest such payment and (ii) largest number of such pay offs in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Danny Alexander: This information could be provided only at disproportionate cost. The Treasury's role is to ensure that individual special severance payments are fully justified in terms of value for money and legal risk.

Public Sector: Pensions

Matthew Hancock: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how many and what proportion of public sector workers (a) of each gender and (b) in each age group will receive an increased pension as a result of moving to a career average from a final salary pension scheme;
	(2)  how many and what proportion of public sector workers (a) of each gender and (b) in each age group will receive an increased pension than as a result of the offer on public sector pensions made by the Government on 2 November 2011.

Danny Alexander: The Command Paper “Public Service Pensions: good pensions that last” set out the Government’s preferred scheme design for public service pensions. The next step is for trade unions to discuss this with the schemes and put forward any detailed alternatives which fall within the cost ceilings. The impact of the reforms on individual groups will depend on the final scheme designs agreed between the Government and trade unions.
	As agreed with the trade unions, the Government will ensure that there are a full equality impact assessment before changes to public service pensions are implemented.

Students: Loans

Helen Jones: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the effect on the level of public sector debt of the requirement for student loans to meet higher tuition fees in each of the next 10 years.

Danny Alexander: The Office of Budget Responsibility (OBR) published its assessment in November 2010 of the effect on the Government's net cash requirement of all student loans out to 2015-16 and the contribution within that from the higher tuition fee policy.
	The following table reproduces the figures in the OBR's November 2010 Economic and Fiscal Outlook report.
	
		
			 Impact of student loans on central Government net cash requirement 
			 £ billion 
			  All student loans (cost of net outlay) Effect of new policies 
			 2010-11 4.1 0.0 
			 2011-12 4.3 0.0 
			 2012-13 5.4 0.7 
			 2013-14 7.3 2.5 
			 2014-15 9.3 4.3 
			 2015-16 10.7 5.6 
		
	
	In its July 2011 Fiscal Sustainability Report, the OBR published long-term projections of the impact of student finance arrangements on public sector net debt. However, these did not separate out the effect of the new fees regime from 2012-13 and were based on stylised loan assumptions beyond 2013-14. Their analysis demonstrated that the increase in debt would peak in the 2030s and then decline as loan repayments rise relative to the value of new loans.
	Decisions are taken each year on the level of the tuition fee cap, tuition loans and maintenance loans for the next academic year. It is therefore not possible to conclude what the overall impact of student loans on public debt in each of the next ten years.

Tax Allowances: Manufacturing Industries

Mark Menzies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether his Department has considered introducing as part of his strategy for growth a 100 per cent. capital write-down allowance on new plant and equipment for the manufacturing sector.

David Gauke: The Chancellor of the Exchequer, my right hon. Friend the Member for Tatton (Mr Osborne), keeps all tax measures under review. Any proposals for new tax incentives would need to be considered in the context of the current fiscal position.

Taxation: Energy

John Robertson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much revenue was received in taxation receipts from energy suppliers in each year since 1986.

David Gauke: Energy suppliers pay tax to HM Revenue and Customs under Climate Change Levy, Corporation Tax, Pay-As-You-Earn and National Insurance Contributions, Stamp Duty Land Tax, Stamp Taxes on shares and Value Added Tax. They also pay national non-domestic rates to local authorities.
	Climate Change Levy is paid by energy suppliers. Annual receipts from Climate Change Levy since June 2001 are published on a monthly basis in table 2 of the Climate Change Levy Statistical Bulletin, which is available on the HM Revenue and Customs website:
	https://www.uktradeinfo.com/index.cfm?task=bullclimate
	Annual receipts for 2006-07 to 2008-09 for Home VAT for the Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) 2007 category, "Electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply" are published in table 2.3 of the HMRC VAT factsheet (October 2009). This category is broader than just 'energy suppliers' and the figures will also cover other activities carried out by these traders, not just their supply of electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply. The figures will also not capture activity by traders for whom energy supply is not their main business and who are classified under other SIC categories. The factsheet is available from the HMRC website at:
	https://www.uktradeinfo.com/index.cfm?task=factvat
	Home VAT refers to VAT charged on the supply of goods (and services) made by a VAT registered business in the UK. Estimates for calendar years 2004 and 2005 are available on a similar but older SIC code covering "Electricity, Gas, Steam and Hot Water Supply."
	Total receipts for PAYE income tax and class 1 National Insurance contributions for the SIC 2003 category "Electricity, Gas and Water Supply" are shown in the following table. This category is broader than just 'energy suppliers' and the figures will relate to all economic activity of PAYE schemes within the sector, not just that related to supply of gas, electricity and water. In addition these figures will not include energy supplied by schemes whose main business is captured elsewhere within the SIC. The table shows total PAYE receipts for the Electricity, Gas and Water Supply sector. Figures are not available for years before 1999-2000.
	
		
			 Total receipts for PAYE income tax and class 1 National Insurance contributions in respect of employee and employer liabilities combined, for the electricity, gas and water supply sector (1999-2000 to 2010-11, years from May to April) 
			 Sector £ billion 
			 Electricity, Gas and Water Supply  
			 1999-2000 1.2 
			 2000-01 1.2 
			 2001-02 1.1 
			 2002-03 1.1 
			 2003-04 1.1 
			 2004-05 1.1 
			 2005-06 1.1 
			 2006-07 1.3 
			 2007-08 1.4 
			 2008-09 1.5 
			 2009-10 1.5 
			 2010-11 1.6 
			 Note: PAYE IT and NICs class 1 figures are slightly incomplete in that some late payments are omitted. These late payments represent about 1% of the total, and do so fairly consistently from year to year, so comparisons between years are not significantly affected. 
		
	
	The following table on corporation tax liabilities shows the liabilities of companies within HMRC's Summary Trade Classification category "Production and Distribution of Electricity, Town Gas and Other Forms of Energy" for accounting periods ending in the financial years 1994-95 to 2009-10. Figures are not available for earlier years. As with PAYE and VAT, the figures presented will cover some economic activity by the companies included that is not connected with energy supply. In addition, some companies which supply energy as a minor part of their overall activity will be classified in other industry categories.
	
		
			 Energy Suppliers sector  (1)   corporation tax liabilities, United Kingdom, financial years 
			 Financial year  (2) Corporation tax liability  (3)(£ million) 
			 1994-95 585 
			 1995-96 570 
			 1996-97 535 
		
	
	
		
			 1997-98 316 
			 1998-99 333 
			 1999-2000 428 
			 2000-01 355 
			 2001-02 396 
			 2002-03 290 
			 2003-04 318 
			 2004-05 576 
			 2005-06 680 
			 2006-07 847 
			 2007-08 922 
			 2008-09 743 
			 2009-10 1060 
			 (1) Summary Trade Classification category Production and Distribution of Electricity, Town Gas and Other Forms of Energy. (2) Comprises accounting periods ending within each financial year. (3) Liability figures, especially for 2009-10, are subject to revision—for example as additional returns are received. Further information is available in the National Statistics publication on corporation tax available at: http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/corporate_tax/menu.htm 
		
	
	Information on receipts paid by energy suppliers is not separately available for Stamp Duty Land Tax, Stamp Taxes on shares and national non-domestic rates.

Taxation: Gambling

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 6 September 2010, Official Report, column 204W, on taxation: gambling, what recent assessment he has made of the rate of gross profits tax levied on (a) bingo clubs and (b) bookmakers; and for what reasons there is a difference between the two.

Chloe Smith: The rates of general betting duty, and bingo duty were set by the previous Government. Bingo duty is charged at 20% of gross profits and general betting duty is charged at 15% of gross profits. The March 2011 Budget left rates unchanged. All taxes, including gambling taxes, are kept under review.

Aerials: Mobile Phones

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether (a) she or (b) officials in her Department have discussed with HM Treasury using a proportion of the recently announced £150 million funding for infrastructure projects to improve mobile phone coverage.

Richard Benyon: In the course of discussions in the context of the growth review, I and my ministerial colleagues and officials have discussed with HM Treasury the funding of £150 million for improvements in mobile coverage, which was announced by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, my right hon. Friend the Member for Tatton (Mr Osborne), on 3 October 2011. We will be continuing to work with the Department of Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport, Ofcom and HM Treasury to optimise the rural benefits of this funding.

Agriculture

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps she is taking to support farming in the tenanted sector.

James Paice: The Government are committed to supporting farming in all sectors, including in the tenanted sector. Up to June 2011, a total of £237 million has been made available through the Rural Development Programme for England to improve the competitiveness of farm businesses and a further £425 million is being spent in 2011-12 on agri-environment schemes to support farmers to conserve and improve the natural environment. On 9 November I announced at the NFU Tenant Farmer Conference a new farming and forestry improvement scheme with up to £20 million available over the next two years to help fund small capital grants for business improvement.
	I also set up the Farming Regulation Task Force, chaired by Richard Macdonald which has made a number of recommendations on how regulatory burdens on the industry might be reduced, and these include particular recommendations in respect of farm tenancies. I recently published an interim response on the Task Force Report setting out progress so far and a full response will be published early next year.
	With specific regard to the tenanted farming sector, I have regular contact with members of the Tenancy Reform Industry Group, which provides advice to Ministers on tenancy related matters.

Air Pollution

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  how many zones and agglomerations exceeded (a) the exposure level of 20 micrograms/m3 of PM2.5 and (b) the limit value of 25 micrograms/m3 of PM2.5 set in the ambient air quality directive (2008/50/EC) in each year since 2008;
	(2)  from what date she estimates all zones and agglomerations will achieve (a) the exposure level of 20 micrograms/m3 of PM2.5 and (b) the limit value of 25 micrograms/m3 of PM2.5 set in the ambient air quality directive (2008/50/EC).

Richard Benyon: Targets for PM2.5 concentrations became a legal requirement for the first time with the adoption of the 2008 ambient air quality directive (2008/50/EC).
	Compliance with the exposure concentration obligation of 20 microgram(3) is assessed at a member state level. Based on the current calculation method and data from 2009 and 2010, the average PM2.5 concentration across urban background locations is 12.8 microgram(3). Earlier data is not available.
	The limit value of 25 microgram(3) applies throughout zones and agglomerations and must be met by 2015. In 2008, 2009 and 2010 all UK zones and agglomerations were in compliance with the limit value.

Air Pollution

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  if she will assess the merits of publishing a new national air quality strategy setting out the Government's plans for achieving NO2 and PM10 limit values and long-term policies for achieving the best possible air quality;
	(2)  what steps her Department is taking to reduce NO2 pollution in the UK to ensure that the limit values in the Ambient Air Quality Directive (2008/50/EC) will be achieved in all 40 of the zones that exceeded the limit values in 2010 no later than 1 January 2015; and if she will make a statement.

Richard Benyon: Limit values for particulate matter are met across nearly all the UK apart from some small areas of London. The Government are working closely with the Mayor of London, the Greater London Authority and Transport for London to minimise the risk of further exceedences in London and expect to be compliant with limit values for particulate matter in 2011.
	DEFRA published its air quality plans for the achievement of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) limit values in September this year. These summarise the plans and measures in place or to be put in place to achieve limit values for this pollutant in the shortest time possible. They also set out the timescale by which we expect to achieve compliance with limit values in all those zones where we currently exceed this limit value.
	The Government continue to investigate available measures to hasten compliance with this limit value. We are keeping under review the need to revise or update our air quality strategy to achieve best possible results, taking into account economic circumstances and the availability of feasible measures.

Air Pollution: Finance

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what her Department's budget is for the air quality grant scheme in 2011-12.

Richard Benyon: DEFRA has an air capital grant fund of £2 million allocated under Section 31 of the Local Government Act for local projects to improve air quality. Details of the grants awarded this year are available on the “News” section of the DEFRA website in an article entitled “£2 million boost to tackle air pollution”.

Bees

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what progress has been made on implementation of the healthy bees plan.

James Paice: Since the Healthy Bees Plan was launched in April 2009, the Food and Environment Research Agency (Fera), on behalf of DEFRA and the Welsh Assembly Government, has been working in partnership with beekeeping stakeholders to deliver the plan's objectives to improve honey bee health. This work has included:
	improving and raising the profile of the National Bee Unit's BeeBase database as a key resource for beekeepers. Over 25,000 beekeepers are now registered compared with 17,000 in 2008;
	supporting education and training of beekeepers to improve their husbandry skills. As part of this work, Fera has co-funded an education initiative with the British Beekeepers' Association and the National Diploma in Beekeeping;
	the development of an action plan by the Veterinary Medicines Directorate to increase the availability of authorised medicines for honey bees and to ensure their correct use; and
	improving our understanding of the health status of honey bees through the Random Apiary Survey undertaken by the National Bee Unit.
	Further details of the implementation of the Healthy Bees Plan are available on the National Bee Unit's BeeBase website.

Bell Pottinger Group

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether (a) Ministers, (b) officials and (c) political advisers in her Department have met representatives of (i) Bell Pottinger Group or (ii) each of its subsidiaries in the last five years; on what dates any such meetings took place; and what was discussed.

Richard Benyon: Details of Cabinet Office Ministers' and Permanent Secretaries' meetings with external organisations are published on a quarterly basis and can be accessed on the DEFRA website at:
	http://www.defra.gov.uk/corporate/about/who/ministers/transparency/
	Since May 2010 no DEFRA Minister, senior departmental official or special adviser has met with associates of the Bell Pottinger Group or any of its subsidiaries. Further detailed information requested is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Environment Protection: British Overseas Territories

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what progress has been made on the implementation of the Overseas Territories Biodiversity Strategy; what further steps she plans to take to implement the strategy; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  how much of her Department's budget for biodiversity conservation was spent in British Overseas Territories in 2010-11;
	(3)  how much of her Department's budget for biodiversity conservation will be spent in British Overseas Territories in each year up to 2014-15;
	(4)  whether the Government's target on biodiversity will apply to British Overseas Territories; and if she will make a statement;
	(5)  whether her submission to the Prime Minister on her Department's priorities for providing support to British Overseas Territories will include measures to protect and restore biodiversity;
	(6)  how many staff in her Department were working full-time on UK Overseas Territories biodiversity policy in each of the last five years.

Richard Benyon: Following agreement of the Overseas Territories Biodiversity Strategy in 2009, DEFRA has taken the lead in coordinating a partnership of Government Departments overseeing its implementation. This partnership comprises DEFRA, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) and the Department for International Development (DFID), and is supported by the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC). As part of this partnership, DEFRA established the Overseas Territories Biodiversity Group (OTBG), comprising officials from DEFRA, the FCO, DFID, JNCC and the UK Overseas Territories Association (UKOTA). Chaired by DEFRA, the OTBG is responsible for overseeing the delivery of the strategy.
	In terms of delivering the objectives set out in the strategy, formal contact points on biodiversity matters have been established in the territories and, in addition to securing more inclusive UK reporting to multilateral environmental agreements, DEFRA hosted a workshop in September 2011 to improve communication and knowledge of the obligations related to the membership of such agreements. I can report that, by June 2011, 38 discrete projects and/or activities in 10 Overseas Territories have been funded that address four of the strategic priorities of the strategy.
	Looking ahead, DEFRA will continue to liaise closely with other Government Departments, inter alia through the OTBG, as well as directly with Overseas Territories and with the UKOTA, to offer such advice and assistance as is within our purview and is appropriate.
	Funding amounting to over £1.2 million was spent on biodiversity in Overseas Territories in 2010-11. This comprised a contribution of £200,000, announced by the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Meriden (Mrs Spelman), at last year's Nagoya Biodiversity Conference, towards rodent eradication on the World Heritage site of Henderson Island in the Pitcairn group of islands, which hosts many endangered species of birds, including the Henderson petrel. It also comprised a figure of just over £1 million from DEFRA'S Darwin Initiative for the period 2010-11 towards projects in the Overseas Territories. We are continuing to welcome project proposals for Darwin funding from the territories. Since the Darwin Initiative is now being co-funded by DEFRA and DFID, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs also announced at the Nagoya Biodiversity Conference that funding under Darwin would in fact increase over the spending review period. In addition to this £1.2 million, the JNCC also contributed £150,000 during 2010-11, and a further £10,000 was committed by DEFRA on research and development projects within the Overseas Territories. In view of the current financial climate it is not possible to predict how much will be spent on biodiversity conservation measures in Overseas Territories in future.
	As the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs reported previously to Parliament, a new global biodiversity target for 2020 was agreed at the tenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity in Nagoya in October 2010. The Aichi Targets apply to those Overseas Territories to which the Convention on Biological Diversity has been extended.
	DEFRA'S submission to the Prime Minister on our current and future priorities for providing support to the Overseas Territories will include measures relating to biodiversity.
	Finally, turning to the level of staff resource within DEFRA which is committed to working on issues associated with the Overseas Territories over the last five years, it is impossible to be precise. While there is no dedicated service towards supporting work in the Overseas Territories, there are a number of officials who regularly provide advice to the Overseas Territories on a range of issues on which DEFRA leads.

Fish Farming

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent assessment she has made of the sustainability of fish farms.

Richard Benyon: The Department's policy decisions on fish farms are guided by our Business Plan commitments which include encouraging sustainable food production. There is legislation in place on a number of relevant issues, including fish welfare, environmental protection and consumer safety which are continually assessed. All fish farms must be authorised by CEFAS, a DEFRA agency, and the conditions include aspects of sustainability.
	In addition to this, DEFRA are currently working with the aquaculture industry, looking at ways in which it can develop in England. Assessing the sustainability of fish farms will be a key aspect of this work.

Inland Waterways: Dredging

David Heyes: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what estimate she has made of the length of waterways managed by British Waterways that require dredging; and what the cost would be of carrying out such dredging;
	(2)  what estimate she has made of the length of British Waterways' canals and rivers to be dredged in 2011-12.

Richard Benyon: Dredging is an operational matter for British Waterways (BW) and it applies risk based prioritisation to its maintenance expenditure. The Government require BW to operate and maintain waterways to standards that reflect use and prospects of use.
	BW undertakes regular waterway channel depth surveys to identify which stretches of its canals fail to meet the minimum depth to enable reasonable navigation in a location. Around 287 kms of the 3,000 km network currently do not meet the criteria and consequently require dredging. The cost of undertaking this dredging would be around £40 million.
	BW plan to dredge, at a cost of £4.2 million, 45 km of canals and rivers in 2011-12, and in addition will spend £1.2 million on various high priority locations that have been identified as creating particular boating constraints.

Marine Conservation Zones

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will consider designating additional marine conservation zones to help protect (a) basking sharks, (b) dolphins and (c) other mobile species.

Richard Benyon: The Government's view is that spatial protection mechanisms are not always, in isolation, the most effective way of protecting highly mobile species. However, protecting some habitats important to mobile species can aid their conservation as part of wider, more bespoke protection measures that can be applied across all or parts of their range, and where appropriate marine conservation zones (MCZs) could be used to protect these habitats.
	DEFRA is in the process of commissioning an independent review of the current science on the merits of protecting mobile species through MCZs, and an assessment of the extent to which the Regional Project recommendations support the protection of mobile species and birds. Where evidence shows that a mobile species could be effectively protected by an marine protected area (MPA), and that there is a gap in the MPA network (looking at the network as a whole and considering special protection areas, special areas of conservation and MCZ contributions), this may be signalled in the public consultation documentation and suggestions for filling the gap considered by DEFRA, Natural England and the Joint Nature Conservation Committee.
	In addition, DEFRA will continue to develop bespoke management measures for the protection of vulnerable mobile species, such as acoustic deterrents to reduce dolphin bycatch and fisheries protection for endangered sharks.

Natural Capital Committee

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  when she expects to establish the Natural Capital Committee;
	(2)  whether the Natural Capital Committee will be required to report to Parliament annually on the condition of natural capital in the UK.

Richard Benyon: The Government announced in the Natural Environment White Paper that they will establish an independent Natural Capital Committee, reporting to the Economic Affairs Cabinet Committee which is chaired by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, my right hon. Friend the Member for Tatton (Mr Osborne). The Committee will advise the Government on the state of English natural capital. As set out in the White Paper, the Committee will: provide advice on when, where and how natural assets are being used unsustainably; advise the Government on how it could prioritise action to protect and improve natural capital, so that public and private activity is focused where it will have greatest impact on improving wellbeing in our society; and, advise the Government on research priorities to improve future advice and decisions on protecting and enhancing natural capital. The Committee will be set up initially for the duration of this Parliament; the work of the Committee will be available to Parliament and will be set out in a series of reports. I will shortly be recruiting the chair and members of the Committee and I have issued a written ministerial statement on the process of establishing the Committee this week.

Recycling

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the possible benefits of slurry recycling.

Richard Benyon: DEFRA is funding research which evaluates the application of slurry onto land and looks at looks at the impact of changes to manure management practices. This work is part of an integrated approach to help farmers manage their nutrients as effectively as possible and to tackle diffuse pollution from agriculture.
	The application of organic manures (which include cattle and pig slurry) to agricultural land is important in improving soil fertility and productivity. The efficient use of manures is one element of an approach to more closely match crops' needs, and capacity to use nutrients, to supply. It also helps to reduce farmers' synthetic fertiliser costs: for example, every tonne of nitrate applied as slurry when plants need it can lead to savings on a farm's fertiliser bill of £345 (or £1,000 per tonne of nitrogen).
	In addition, the benefits of efficient manure application extend to significant reductions of environmental pollutants such as greenhouse gas emissions, ammonia emissions to air, and nitrate-N emissions to water.

Sussex Emerald Moth

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps her Department is taking to protect the Sussex Emerald Moth.

Richard Benyon: The Sussex Emerald Moth is fully protected under schedule 5 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 and is listed as a species of principal importance for the conservation of biological diversity under section 41 of the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act. It is one of England's rarest moths, known from just two sites in Kent, with its stronghold at Dungeness. In recent years, the decline of the Sussex Emerald has been halted and Natural England is working with the RSPB, Butterfly Conservation, and major landowners to increase the population within and around Dungeness through habitat creation.

Accident and Emergency Departments: Manpower

David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his policy is on the deployment of emergency care assistants; and whether he plans to put in place safeguards to ensure they will not be used as substitutes for qualified paramedics.

Simon Burns: Decisions on deployment of ambulance service personnel are a local, operational matter for ambulance trusts. There is a duty of care on these trusts to ensure that the response they send to the patient can provide the appropriate level of care. Where patients need a paramedic, one should be dispatched.
	Emergency care assistants are not trained to have any diagnostic or therapeutic intervention function, and so only in exceptional cases will not be accompanied by a paramedic. In such exceptional circumstances, an emergency care assistant may be dispatched with an emergency medical technician or another emergency care assistant, but this would only be as backup to a paramedic rapid response vehicle, or as a first response, with paramedic back dispatched as required.

Brain Cancer

James Arbuthnot: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the use of proton beam therapy in the treatment of brain tumours;
	(2)  what the average time taken was from the onset of symptoms of a primary brain tumour to its diagnosis in the latest period for which figures are available.

Paul Burstow: An expert clinical advisory group, established to look at the options for the development of proton beam therapy (PBT) services in this country, recommended that PBT could benefit a small group of very specific primary tumours. These include some tumours of the base of the skull in adults that are close to the brain and some primary brain tumours in children.
	From 2008, patients with high priority cancers have been sent overseas for PBT treatment. A Proton Therapy Clinical Reference Panel, established by the National Commissioning Group, advises on suitable cases for this treatment. The Panel has approved over 100 base of skull or primary central nervous system tumour cases for treatment with PBT since the Overseas Programme began. The PBT clinical reference panel has also established processes that will enable the outcomes for these patients to be evaluated.
	The Department does not collect statistics regarding average time taken from the onset of symptoms of a primary brain tumour to its diagnosis. However, “The National Report of the 2010 Cancer Patient Experience Survey”, published in December 2010, included a series of questions about general practitioner (GP) presentation and referrals. The views of over 67,000 cancer patients were included in the survey results and of these 2,382 had brain and central nervous system (CHS) tumours.
	The following table shows the responses of patients with brain and CNS tumours to questions concerning GP presentation and referral, presented alongside the highest scoring patient group.
	
		
			 Percentage 
			  Brain and CNS All cancers 
			 Saw GP no more than twice about cancer related problem before being referred to a hospital doctor 65 75 
			 Waited no more than four weeks before being referred to hospital doctor 90 90 
			 Thought first appointment with hospital doctor was as soon as necessary 73 81 
		
	
	Both national and trust level reports can be found on the Department's website at:
	http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsStatistics/DH_122516

Dementia: South East

Tracey Crouch: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent estimate he has made of the number of people in (a) Medway, (b) Tonbridge and Malling borough council, (c) Chatham and Aylesford constituency and (d) the south-east who have been diagnosed with dementia in the latest period for which figures are available.

Paul Burstow: The information is not available in the format requested. Such information as is available is in the following table:
	
		
			 Numbers of patients on the dementia patient register for Medway Primary Care Trust (PCT), West Kent PCT and the South East Coast Strategic Health Authority (SHA) 
			 NHS organisation Number of patients on dementia patient register at 31 March 2011 
			 Medway PCT 1,093 
			 West Kent PCT 3,298 
			 South East Coast SHA 24,284 
			 Notes: 1. The national QOF records the number of people recorded on practice disease registers with a diagnosis of dementia—a measure of prevalence rather than incidence. 2. Data from the QOF Dementia Patient Register as at 31 March 2011 are the latest data available. 3. These data are not available at local authority or parliamentary constituency level. Tonbridge and Mailing borough council falls within the West Kent PCT area. Chatham and Aylesford constituency lies predominantly within the Medway PCT area. 4. QOF is a voluntary annual reward and incentive programme for all general practitioner (GP) surgeries in England and is part of the GP contract. The QOF was introduced as part of the new General Medical Services (GMS) contract on 1 April 2004. Participation rates are very high, with most Personal Medical Services practices also taking part. Practices score points on the basis of achievement against each indicator, up to a maximum of 1,000 points. Results of GP practices' achievement against the QOF are published each year. 5. For 2010-11, 8,245 GP practices in England are included in the published results, covering almost 100% of registered patients in England. 6. The QOF has four main components, known as domains. Each domain consists of a set of measures of achievement, known as indicators, against which practices score points according to their level of achievement. 7. The following extract is taken from Quality and Outcomes Framework guidance for GMS contract 2009-10 ‘Delivering investment in general practice’, March 2009, NHS Employers (note, 2009-10 guidance also applies to 2010-11 QOF). “The practice can produce a register of patients diagnosed with dementia. Rationale: A register is a pre-requisite for the organisation of good primary care for a particular patient group. There is little evidence to support screening for dementia and it is expected that the diagnosis will largely be recorded from correspondence when patients are referred to secondary care with suspected dementia or as an additional diagnosis when a patient is seen in secondary care. However, it is also important to include patients where it is inappropriate or not possible to refer to a secondary care provider for a diagnosis and where the GP has made a diagnosis based on their clinical judgement and knowledge of the patient. The practice reports the number of patients with dementia on its register and the number of people with dementia as a proportion of its list size.” Source: Dementia Patient Register, Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF), the NHS Information Centre

Diabetes: Nurses

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department plans to take to ensure that the role of diabetes specialist nurses in community, primary and secondary care and in the integration of diabetes care services is taken into account in his planned reforms of the NHS. [R]

Paul Burstow: The coalition Government consider that diabetes specialist nurses are an essential part of the diabetes specialist team. They have a valuable part to play in supporting people with diabetes, and ensuring the integration of diabetes services.
	Local health care organisations are in the best position to determine the workforce needed to deliver safe and high-quality patient care for their local populations. Managing diabetes, and commissioning services for people with diabetes, is complex and we expect decisions to be informed by clinical involvement and leadership. The national health service reforms present an opportunity for stronger, closer partnership working between the new primary care commissioners and secondary care specialists, ensuring that evidence-based multi-disciplinary care is commissioned and is focused on the needs of the individual patient.

Herbal Medicine

Simon Reevell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many complaints the Borderline section of the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency has received where the medicinal status of the product required investigating in the last two years; how many of these resulted in a determination that the product investigated was a medicine; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  which companies have been investigated by the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) for labelling herbal medicinal products as food supplements; what sanctions the MHRA can apply against such companies; what steps the MHRA is taking to prevent such practices; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  what estimate his Department has made of the number of herbal medicinal manufacturers who are considering reclassifying their traditional herbal registration products as food supplements; and if he will make a statement.

Simon Burns: In the years 2009-10 and 2010-11 the Medicines Borderline Section of the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) considered 986 complaints. The MHRA concluded that 667 cases involved products which could be classified as medicines by virtue of their presentation, or by virtue of their function or both. The MHRA approach in these cases is to seek voluntary compliance from companies wherever possible but six provisional determinations were issued in that two-year period and eight final determinations.
	The Medicines for Human Use (Marketing Authorisations Etc) Regulations 1994 make it an offence to place a medicine on the market without the appropriate authorisation or to distribute such a product by way of wholesale dealing, unless an exemption applies. Breaches of the regulations are a criminal offence and can be punished by up to two years imprisonment and/or an unlimited fine. Companies that are investigated by the MHRA are entitled to their privacy especially where, following investigation, no subsequent enforcement action is taken against them. The MHRA considers that it would not be in the public interest to publish the names of companies where there is compliance with regulatory requirements; such an approach could also have legal implications. Where a case results in a final determination that a product is a medicine this information appears on the MHRA website.
	Prior to the date of full implementation of directive 2004/24/EC the MHRA wrote to 272 companies which it believed to be involved in the supply of herbal products in the United Kingdom. 132 replied saying that they marketed some 2,915 products under the section 12(2) exemption from licensing contained in the Medicines Act 1968. The MHRA is aware of some companies labelling products as food supplements which might be medicinal products and is investigating those companies. The MHRA is considering the wider issues arising and how effective, proportionate enforcement action can best ensure that the intended benefits of the legislation for consumers and for companies compliant with the legislation are achieved.

Hospices: Charities

Gary Streeter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of potential changes to the regulation of charitable hospices as a consequence of the reforms proposed in the Health and Social Care Bill; and whether he proposes that such hospices will be subject to regulation by Monitor.

Simon Burns: The Health and Social Care Bill would introduce a requirement that "any person who provides a health care(1) service for the purposes of the NHS must hold a licence", except where they are exempt through regulations set by the Secretary of State for Health, my right hon. Friend the Member for South Cambridgeshire (Mr Lansley).
	(1) The definition of health care as set out in Clause 60 (3) of the Health and Social Care Bill in relation to Part 3 of the Bill states:
	“‘Health care’ means all forms of health care provided for individuals, whether relating to physical or mental health with a reference in this Part to health care services being read accordingly; and for the purposes of this Part it does not matter if a health care service is also an adult social care service.”
	Therefore, any charitable hospices providing “health care” services would be required to apply to Monitor for a licence, unless it is determined they should be exempt by Regulations.
	Monitor and the Care Quality Commission (CQC) would be obliged to operate a joint licensing administration process. There would be a single, integrated application process and co-ordination of licence modifications and enforcement action. This would avoid duplication and reduce bureaucracy for providers.
	The Bill would place a duty on Monitor to ensure best regulatory practice; keep regulatory burdens under review and remove unnecessary burdens.
	Under the Health and Social Care Act 2008, the CQC has a duty to ensure that any action it takes is proportionate to the risks against which it would afford safeguards and is targeted only where it is needed. The CQC is currently consulting on proposals to simplify and strengthen its regulatory model of monitoring and inspecting providers of regulated activities.

Neuromuscular Conditions: Health Services

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what information his Department holds on progress in setting up a managed clinical network for neuromuscular conditions in the NHS South Central region; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Burstow: This is a matter for the national health service locally. However, the South Central Specialised Commissioning Group (SCSCG) report on Neuromuscular Services was published in August 2011. There are two established specialist providers of neuromuscular services in the south central region, in Southampton and Oxford. Both locations now have neuro-muscular disorder care advisors who are supporting patients in the region and further developing (inks from the specialist service into secondary, community and primary care. As part of the national work programme on services for people with neuromuscular conditions, the SCSCG (in conjunction with the North West Specialised Commissioning Group) has led on looking at models of care to improve the integration of care across pathways and providers.

NHS: Disclosure of Information

Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to support whistleblowers in the NHS; and if he will make a statement.

Anne Milton: On 9 June, the Secretary of State for Health, my right hon. Friend the Member for South Cambridgeshire (Mr Lansley), announced a full public inquiry into the role of commissioning, supervising and regulatory bodies in the monitoring of Mid-Staffordshire Foundation Trust. As part of this, he also stated his intentions to undertake further work on whistleblowing and improve procedures for those who wished to raise concerns. These include:
	Issuing unequivocal guidance to national health service organisations that all their contracts of employment should cover staff whistleblowing rights—this has been published on the NHS Employers website on 13 September 2010.
	Seeking through negotiations with NHS trade unions to amend terms and conditions of service handbook to include a contractual right to raise concerns. Changes have been made to the NHS staff terms and conditions of service handbook for those on Agenda for Change and were agreed through the Staff Council and published on the NHS Employers website on 13 September 2010.
	Issuing guidance to the NHS on supporting and taking action on concerns raised by staff. This has been completed and as stated earlier published on 25 June 2010.
	Reinforcing the NHS constitution to make clear the rights and responsibilities of NHS staff and their employers in respect of whistleblowing. A full public consultation ran from 12 October 2010 to 11 January 2011 to gauge public opinion on the possibility of adding:
	an expectation that staff should raise concerns at the earliest opportunity;
	organisations should pledge to support staff when raising concerns; and
	the constitution should have greater clarity around the ability of staff to raise concerns.
	The departmental response to this was published on 18 October 2011, endorsing these changes which will be made in early 2012.
	Exploring with NHS staff further measures to provide a safe and independent authority to whom they can turn when their own organisation is not listening. This option is currently being explored.

NHS: Sick Leave

Julian Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to improve the support offered to NHS employees unable to work due to sickness to resume work.

Simon Burns: The Department is committed to improving the overall health and well-being of staff in the national health service.
	The programme of work we are undertaking in this area is focused on both enabling improvements in individual's levels of health and providing return to work support when staff suffer episodes of ill health which prevent them from working.
	The Department launched the NHS Health and Wellbeing Improvement Framework on 29 July 2011 to support NHS organisations in achieving changes to improve staff health and well-being. Over the coming months the Department is taking a number of specific initiatives in this area such as encouraging all NHS Occupational Health Departments to seek accreditation to the Faculty of Occupational Medicine's Standards by March 2013; using pathfinders to develop models to support health and well-being in the NHS; and providing support to a number of organisations that are struggling to reduce levels of sickness absence.
	The Department is also working with NHS Employers as a delivery arm for change. They are leading work on embedding approaches to support health and well-being across the NHS; supporting the development of Occupational Health Services and ensuring that there is a robust evidence base for the provision of these services in all NHS care settings; leading the national campaign to increase uptake of influenza vaccination by NHS staff; and helping NHS organisations meet their legal responsibilities for health and safety.
	High quality occupational health is a key element in providing return to work support for employees unable to work due to sickness.
	The Department's focus on this area will ensure increased support for NHS staff when they cannot work, and continued support when they return to work after an episode of sickness.

Obesity: Alcoholic Drinks

Tracey Crouch: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what recent assessment he has made of the relationship between high levels of alcohol consumption and obesity levels among (a) 16 to 24 year olds and (b) 45 to 54 year olds; and what estimate he has made of the cost to the Exchequer of obesity occasioned by alcohol consumption in the latest period for which figures are available;
	(2)  what recent assessment he has made of the relationship between high levels of alcohol consumption and obesity.

Anne Milton: The Department has not undertaken an assessment of the relationship between high levels of alcohol consumption and obesity levels; nor has the Department estimated the cost of obesity as a result of alcohol consumption. We have recently published ‘Healthy Lives, Healthy People: A call to action on obesity in England’, this states that alcoholic drinks can be high in calories and contribute to the energy imbalance that can lead to overweight and obesity A copy of the document has already been placed in the Library.
	The ‘National Diet and Nutrition Survey 2008/09-2009/10’ showed that, for adults aged 19 to 64 years who consumed alcohol, alcohol provided on average 9.7% of total energy intake for men and 7.7% for women. Information is available in Table 5.22 on page 110 of the ‘NDNS Headline results from Years 1 and 2 (combined) tables’. The information is available at:
	www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsStatistics/DH_128166
	A copy of Table 5.22 has been placed in the Library.

Social Services: Alcoholic Drinks

Tracey Crouch: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment he has made of the level of (a) drug dependency and (b) alcoholism amongst care leavers.

Anne Milton: These data are not collected centrally. A sample of 101 care leavers interviewed as part of a departmental funded study by the university of York in 2001-04 found that 32% of them had problems with drugs or alcohol a year after leaving care.

Social Services: Learning Disability

Stephen Gilbert: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many people with a learning disability were assessed as having (a) critical, (b) substantial, (c) moderate and (d) low level needs in each local authority area in each year since 2000;
	(2)  how many people of working age with a learning disability in each local authority area were assessed for state-funded social care in each year since 2000; and how many received such care.

Paul Burstow: No data is held on the number of people assessed as having critical, substantial, moderate and low level needs in each local authority area.
	A table has been placed in the Library that shows the number of people of working age, with a learning disability, in each local authority area, that were assessed for state-funded social care in each year since 2000; and how many received such care.
	Tables 1.1 to 1.4 show the number of clients with learning disabilities aged 18-64 with completed assessments from 2000-01 to 2009-10.
	Table 1.1 covers the period 2000-01 to 2002-03 when data for reviews as well as assessments are also included as they were not collected separately from assessments.
	Table 1.2 covers 2003-04 to 2007-08.
	Table 1.3 contains data for 2008-09 as the source table changed from previous years.
	Table 1.4 contains data for 2009-10 due to the reorganisation of local government that created nine new unitary authorities.
	Tables 2.1 to 2.8 show the outcome of the assessment for clients with learning disabilities aged 18-64 from 2000-01 to 2007-08. This data is not available for later years broken down by primary client type. These tables all refer to assessments completed within the year and the outcome of those assessments. Tables 2.3 and 2.4, which cover 2003-04 and 2004-05, also include reviews which were not collected separately from assessments for these years.
	Tables 3.1 and 3.2 show the number of clients with learning disabilities aged 18-64 who were receiving services funded partially or wholly by Councils with Adult Social Services Responsibilities during the period from 2000-01 to 2009-10. Only a subset of these clients would have been assessed and would have started using services in that year.
	Table 3.1 covers 2000-01 to 2008-09.
	Table 3.2 only contains data for 2009-10 due to the reorganisation of local government that created nine new unitary authorities.
	Provisional data for the 2010-11 is pre-announced for publication on 30 November 2011.

Social Services: Learning Disability

Karen Lumley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people of working age with a learning disability were assessed for state-funded social care in Redditch constituency in (a) 2009, (b) 2010 and (c) 2011; and how many received such care.

Paul Burstow: The number of people assessed for state funded social care and the number who receive services funded wholly or partly by Councils with Adult Social Services Responsibilities is collected and published by the NHS Information Centre for health and social care.
	The following table shows the number of clients with learning disabilities aged 18-64 who had completed assessments or were receiving services funded partially or wholly by Worcestershire county council during the period in 2008-09 and 2009-10.
	Only a subset of the clients receiving services would have been assessed in the same year.
	Provisional data for 2010-11 will be published on 30 November 2011.
	The number of clients with learning disabilities aged 18-64 who had completed assessments or were receiving services in Worcestershire during the period.
	
		
			 Rounded numbers 
			 Worcestershire 2008-09 2009-10 
			 Completed assessments 70 115 
			 Receiving services 1,415 1,450 
			 Source: Referrals, Assessments and Packages of Care (RAP) returns A7 and PI 
		
	
	This information is not collected at constituency level.